I thought I was hallucinating when I saw this headline. It's from March 29, and I only just ran across the article. They aren't making it completely legal, but it's now a minor infraction unless combined with other things. What is going on?
Polygamy is essentially decriminalized in Utah under a bill signed into law
Polygamy has essentially been decriminalized under a bill signed into law by Utah's governor.
On Saturday, the governor signed Senate Bill 102 into law. It reduces the crime of bigamy among consenting adults to an infraction -- on par with a traffic ticket. However, bigamy in concert with other crimes like abuse, fraud or child-bride marriages, becomes a felony.
The bill faced a lot of controversy on Utah's Capitol Hill, yet won overwhelming support among lawmakers. Utah was forced to abandon the practice of polygamy as a condition of statehood. Yet, it remains practiced today. Pro-polygamy groups estimate as many as 30,000 to 40,000 people in the state subscribe to Mormon fundamentalism, the belief system that includes plural marriage.
Polygamy is essentially decriminalized in Utah under a bill signed into law
Polygamy has essentially been decriminalized under a bill signed into law by Utah's governor.
On Saturday, the governor signed Senate Bill 102 into law. It reduces the crime of bigamy among consenting adults to an infraction -- on par with a traffic ticket. However, bigamy in concert with other crimes like abuse, fraud or child-bride marriages, becomes a felony.
The bill faced a lot of controversy on Utah's Capitol Hill, yet won overwhelming support among lawmakers. Utah was forced to abandon the practice of polygamy as a condition of statehood. Yet, it remains practiced today. Pro-polygamy groups estimate as many as 30,000 to 40,000 people in the state subscribe to Mormon fundamentalism, the belief system that includes plural marriage.