Sister Wives. Mormons. Utah. I hear jokes about polygamy fairly often. But honestly, I feel like the concept of multiple spouses is a civil rights issue that does not get examined by the public often. Polygamy is certainly atypical in the United States, but I don't think that should be enough to stop us from questioning whether it should be legalized.
Polygamy was outlawed in the United States in the late nineteenth century. During this period, the Mormon church was gaining prominence in Utah and most members of the government saw its practices as outdated and disturbing. Still, many Mormons continued to practice polygamy, believing they should be protected by the constitution’s establishment clause, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Polygamy is still outlawed in all 50 states.
Current bigamy laws in the United States. The colors indicate
the level of crime bigamy is considered with yellow meaning
misdemeanor, red meaning felony, and maroon meaning that
all forms of cohabitation are outlawed.
A recent court case involving Kody Brown and his four wives (better known as the stars of the reality TV show Sister Wives,) brought an important concept into the public eye. Their trial pointed out the difference between acquiring several marriage licenses and simply cohabitating. The Browns felt pressured to leave their home in Utah in 2010, after their local police started an investigation into their lifestyle. Federal judge Clark Waddoups ruled that Utah’s ban on cohabitation for polygamist relationships is indeed unconstitutional. This serves as a precedent for future cases, as it points out that having multiple partners is not technically illegal.
I have never seen Sister Wives, but from what I have read of the Brown family, I think the show presents a lifestyle different from that which we, too often, associate with polygamy. A lot of polygamy’s bad rap comes from unfortunate historical scenarios in which women were oppressed and forced marriages were very common. It is important to acknowledge that there are still closed-off towns in the United States in which women and girls are given little freedom because of the religious beliefs of their communities. But the Browns seem to represent a more healthy (though I guess healthy can’t really be measured, it’s more of an opinion) and respectful type of marriage. The Browns are devoted members of a Christian church and are simply trying to embrace their religion.
The issue of polygamist marriage is often compared to that of gay marriage. While more and more people are starting to believe (well, realize) that being homosexual isn’t really a choice, the idea of one naturally being a polygamist doesn’t seem to be as widely accepted. Considering polygamy forces us to try and figure out where it becomes a government’s place to interfere with the personal lives of its citizens.
Personally, I feel that polygamy should be legalized. Our government doesn’t tell us who we can and cannot have relationships with, and I don’t think that marriage should be any different. I think it’s kind of lame that people who are legally in relationships that aren’t considered normal do not have the right to be recognized as legal partners. I don’t see any negative side effects brought on by polygamy itself, as there are healthy and unhealthy cases in all types of relationships. I think if we truly upheld freedom of religion, there wouldn’t be restrictions on who is allowed to marry.
Sources:
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/pioneers_and_cowboys/historyofpolygamy.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-winkler/are-polygamy-bans-unconst_b_4454076.html
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/12/16/sister-wives-defeat-polygamy-law-in-federal-court
Graphics:
http://www.gallup.com/poll/162689/record-high-say-gay-lesbian-relations-morally.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_status_of_polygamy#mediaviewer/File:Polygamy_laws_usa.png
