Polygamy Revisited

This post is in response to Deserah Alvarez's blog post.

I think the primary problem with your argument is that gay marriage and polygamy are inherently different. Polygamy has been outlawed because it leads to abuse of women, both physical and emotional. Not all polygamists are abusers, but the situation lends itself to an attitude about women that is unhealthy: they are possessions of their husband, their sole purpose is to give birth, they are disposable or replaceable. Gay marriage on the other hand as well as being contrary to your argument, is a firmly established historical practice and is between two consenting, loving adults.

America's primary moral is personal freedom. However, that freedom should not infringe on the freedom of another person. This is why polygamy is outlawed by most states and the Mormon church. While I have not seen this program you mention, I do know that popular culture can only affect a person's opinion so much. Just because I am interested in a show about an altruistic serial killer who gets away with murder (Dexter) doesn't mean that I am going to go out and rid the streets of crime one body at a time. My example is a bit on the extreme side but I would venture to guess that after viewing Sisterwives, you do not have a sudden desire to enter a polygamist relationship.