Legal Polygamy

Legal Polygamy: Utah Law Targets Polygamy

Utah Law states that

”The following ordinance shall be irrevocable without the consent of the United States and the people of this State: [Religious toleration -- Polygamy forbidden.] First: — Perfect toleration of religious sentiment is guaranteed. No inhabitant of this State shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship; but polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited.”  - Article 3 section -

So according to Article 3, you can believe whatever you want. And Utah will never prosecute you for your religious beliefs. However being a polygamist and acting upon your beliefs is completely out of the question.

Is it just me or does it look like Utah is specifically targeting Polygamy?

It is perfectly useless to tell someone that they can believe however they want but cannot act upon their beliefs.  But claiming to uphold any inhabitant of the states right to religious freedom and then in the same sentence stating that that polygamy is “forever prohibited” is just downright evil.

Penalty for Living Polygamy    

(1) A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife or knowing the other person has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person.
(2) Bigamy is a felony of the third degree.
(3) It shall be a defense to bigamy that the accused reasonably believed he and the other person were legally eligible to remarry. -76-7-101. Bigamy – Defense-

American Heritage Dictionary defines cohabitation as: To live together in a sexual relationship, especially when not legally married. 

Therefore not only is bigamy illegal and a third degree felony but so is Polygamy, because obviously if you are living polygamy you are cohabiting with other women and therefore a third degree felon.   

Polygamy should be legal

Ok so its very obviouse taht polygamy is in fact illegal. But will Utah and other states act upon this? I think they already are.  Although Mark Shurtleff says that he will not prosecute people for practicing polygamy, I do believe that he is persecuting people for polygamy. And just because he says he won’t prosecute polygamy does not mean that other people wont.  What happens when Utah gets a new attorney general? Or what if he just changes his mind?   

Like a sword hanging from a thread over the heads of Polygamists the threat of imprisonment is ever present. Threatening to cut families apart if ever “the government” was to find out who is living plural marriage.  And so naturally many polygamists withdraw themselves from mainstream society in order to protect the things they hold most dear.  Then all people hear about polygamy is when the media sensationalizes bad polygamist situations.

And so a stigma is placed on polygamy in general, that all polygamists are bad people.  The laws targeting polygamy are out of date, unfair and unconstitutional.  They are targeting not only a persons rights to practice their religion but also a persons right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness which is guaranteed us by constitution of the United States of America. And they should be done away with.