On Monday, British Columbia's Supreme Court took up the matter of whether Canada's ban on polygamy is unconstitutional. An 1890's law prohibiting the practice of plural marriage has been challenged as violating the freedom of religion and association guarantee as spelled out in the Charter of Rights.
What's At Stake?
B.C.'s Attorney General has asked the court to answer two questions. First, is Canada's prohibition of polygamy legal and if so, are all polygamous unions illegal or only those that involve minors or exploitation.
Those in favor and those opposed are watching the case closely and the court's decision will not likely be the last word on the subject.
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Comments: 14
Women are still getting screwed in this world. Take the small example of the marital name change. If I wanted to take my husband's name upon marriage, I'd have no problem, and it wouldn't cost me a damn thing. However, if he wanted to take my name upon marriage, it would cost him a great amount of money, and he'd have to go through all the paperwork I did when I took my mother's maiden name.
I guess what I'm saying is whether I agree or not, I find the argument against polygamy somewhat weak, except on religious moral grounds. Take animal sacrifice for religious ceremonies... most think that wrong, but it is legal in the US depending on location and how performed. The courts have ruled that some "actions" on religious grounds can be legislated, but not if purely because the majority disagrees with the religion itself. It's complicated...