They should legalize polyamory, polygamy and same sex marriage (including groups) all at the same time. Then watch these same people freak out at the latter two.
On the other hand there are societal difficulies, in the US, with multiple marriages. The law makes many assumptions that a basic social unit is two adults and a number of minor children. Heath care, inheiritance, financial matters, public services all work on these assumptions.
As one example, think of inheiratance. Lets say one woman has two husbands. She has a personal fortune, and dies without a will. With her death, the marriage no longer exists, how is her fortune divided? Lets complicate it and say that the marriage has produced three children, one with one husband and two with the other. Heck, they might not even KNOW who the father of each child is (as a family they might not care.)
Not insolvable problems, but they would have to be addressed.
Actually, polygamy is a multiple marriage of indeterminate gender, polygyny is one man w/ multiple wives, and polyandry is one woman with multiple husbands. There's no real technical term for a group marriage of more than one each of men and women.
Also, as I understand it polyamory isn't illegal. There are states where group sex ("orgy") is a crime, but serial monogamy isn't, and I believe heterosexual polyamory w/o group sex would be viewed by the law as serial monogamy.
I was surprised to see such a young, fairly good-looking young man in the picture. In most of the fundamentalist communities (Colorado City, for example), a guy like that would've been run out of town around the age of 14, dropped off somewhere to fend for himself. Can't have the young sexy 14 year-olds hoping for a guy their own age, not when some pervy old geezer needs a sixth wife!
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-08-20 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 01:45 pm (UTC)They should legalize polyamory, polygamy and same sex marriage (including groups) all at the same time. Then watch these same people freak out at the latter two.
On the other hand there are societal difficulies, in the US, with multiple marriages. The law makes many assumptions that a basic social unit is two adults and a number of minor children. Heath care, inheiritance, financial matters, public services all work on these assumptions.
As one example, think of inheiratance. Lets say one woman has two husbands. She has a personal fortune, and dies without a will. With her death, the marriage no longer exists, how is her fortune divided? Lets complicate it and say that the marriage has produced three children, one with one husband and two with the other. Heck, they might not even KNOW who the father of each child is (as a family they might not care.)
Not insolvable problems, but they would have to be addressed.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 03:33 pm (UTC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygamy
Also, as I understand it polyamory isn't illegal. There are states where group sex ("orgy") is a crime, but serial monogamy isn't, and I believe heterosexual polyamory w/o group sex would be viewed by the law as serial monogamy.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 05:18 pm (UTC)In your example, if I were the ultimate legal authoritarian, I'd divide the fortune evenly among the children only.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-23 03:41 am (UTC)