Polygamy, Big Love

In the theocracy we know as the State of Utah, there is a group fighting for their rights. They are not fighting for gay marriage, or same sex unions, but plural marriage, a practice that was banned in the United States in order for Utah to attain statehood.

In any event, a group of fundamentalist Mormons wants to reinstate the legal practice of polygamy, which operates in a legal gray area.  As long as they do not engage in child marriage or sexual abuse of minors, the "authorities" will not prosecute. Ric Cantrell and Mark Shurtleff have decriminalized polygamy in Utah.  

Now, another twist in the scenario is the fact that certain groups in British Columbia have been pushing to legalize plural marriage. It is not just fundamentalist Mormons, but also fundamentalist Muslims pushing for this new protection.

The question we have to ask ourselves, is why, in Western Society, should we tolerate this. Not from a moral perspective, but from a fairness perspective. Especially where taxes and services are concerned. If a man is married to 3 women, and he has children with all of them, what are the odds that he will have an appropriate tax burden to pay for the services that his offspring consume? Even if they go to home school, they are using our roads, our parks, and our libraries. The odds of a religious fundamentalist like these individuals paying enough into the system to defray the cost of their procreation is slim at best. This really goes in the face of same sex couples who can't even get on each other's insurance in a lot of states. (most of them don't have kids to suck up public services) Or even unmarried men and women. 

This is a preposterous notion, just because a state does not have the resources to prosecute people who scoff their laws does not mean that we should allow this practice.