Originally Posted by CutterJohn
And whats wrong with polygamy anyway? We can't make gay marriage legal because then polygamy would be legal!
Yeah? And? Why isn't it legal? It is not my business how or with whom consenting adults wish to arrange their relationships. In fact, I really can't think of anything that is less my business.
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At the risk of derailing the thread further, a large enough portion of polygamist situations have been found to be abusive, restrictive, or hazardous to children's development that there is a reasonable
secular case against it. The kicker here is
informed consent; in many cases, the women feel like they don't have a choice, not that they're making the choice to be married to a polygamist fully conscious of the opportunities available to them.
This is my principle objection to the Amish. For all that they allow their young adults to go out into the world and experience it before making their 'choice', the choice isn't entirely informed. Think about it; their family, friends, and
entire support structure is rooted in their home community; they are likely to return to it at first opportunity because they don't know anything else. Each generation is raised dependent on their insular community, so the consent isn't informed.