One big unhappy family

Newsweek has a story about polygamists fighting for decriminalization of polygamy. The article says that if gay marriage is recognized, why shouldn't polygamy be recognized? Personally, I don't care about polygamy provided all the members of the polygamist marriage are consenting adults and all the individuals involved know about the other members of the plural marriage. However, the reality of polygamy is quite different from two homosexuals getting married in Massachusetts. The gay couple are two consenting adults who enter into marriage willingly. In polygamist marriages, the brides are not adults but are barely teenage girls. The groom and brides are often related, the result is the genetic birth defects that come from inbreeding. Polygamy also leads to a surplus of young men who must be disposed of. After all, you can't have young studs competing with the old men for the fillies. These young men do not have more than an 8th grade education, the girls only get a 4th grade education. The illiterate are responsible for homeschooling the children.

Even though polygamy meets the "traditional" marriage model more than gay marriage. Several of the patriarchs in the Bible had multiple wives. One must look at how polygamy affects individuals and the reality of it before saying it is the equivalent of gay marriage. Decrimalizing polygamy would say that incest and pedophilia are protected under the First Amendment. Unfortunately, the Newsweek article ignores this reality.

UPDATE: I noticed that the article said polygamy activists are fighting for decrimalization, not legalizing polygamy. There is a difference, decriminalization means that legal authorities cannot prosecute polygamists. Legalization would mean that the parties involved would have to get marriage licenses, have a ceremony performed by a judge or other legally authorized person. Getting a marriage license and having a marriage certificate is part of the process to verify that the people entering into marriage are legally able to get married. Decriminalization would allow the institutionalized molestation of young girls to continue. The polygamous system set up by the polygamous cults in Utah treats women and girls as property and as a reward for "good behavior". If you want more information, click here or here for another cult.