Why Polygamy Is Wrong

“Confusing monogamy with morality has done more to destroy the conscience of the human race than any other error” (George Shaw). Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. In the United States, it is illegal. In some cultures, polygamy is acceptable due to the shortage of women that live there. This practice is mainly associated with Mormons and the Fundamentalists Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints. Polygamy is wrong because it is unconstitutional, it increases forced marriages, and it causes emotional distress. Do you think it is wrong to fall in love and marry multiple people?
Polygamy is unconstitutional due to the moral laws in place. Some may say it is constitutional due to Freedom
of Religion and Pursuit of Happiness. Many ask if the government is supposed to go by the constitution why do they choose to omit this right. Yes, the first Amendment to the Constitution says that a citizen can worship any religion they please, but all Mormons do not believe that polygamy is morally correct. The 2011 National Survey of Mormons says that eighty-six percent of Mormons believe that polygamy is wrong. Adultery, according to dictionary.com, is the voluntary sexual connection between someone who is married and someone who is not the person’s monogamous other. In the United States, it is classified as a misdemeanor and anyone can face up to six months of imprisonment. Often times, many people involved in polygamist relationships are foreigners who are seeking citizenship in the United States. Sometimes the wives are below the legal age limit when they enter into polygamous relationships.
Also, the practice of polygamy increases the difficulty for the sister wives. Even though people think the workload and finances would be split among the wives, there will always be one wife doing more work than the other wives. By the husband having to fulfill his responsibilities to each wife, he is not able to spend the same amount of time with each of them. This can cause jealousy to occur. In a monogamous relationship, the pair discusses all decisions before finalizing them. In a polygamist relationship the man usually makes all of the decisions. Because of this, the man will begin to abuse his power and will want all of his sister wives to become submissive toward him.
Some would think that the children involved in these relationships would be ecstatic to have a very close family.
In reality, those are the kids who dislike polygamy the most. The children may not fully understand why their family is different from everyone else’s. They may be teased or bullied about having more than one mother figure. Like the wives, the husband may not spend the same amount of time with each child. That child’s mother will go to the husband and say he is not teaching her child what he is teaching the others. I understand some may say that it is a great arrangement for children due to the fact of the children always having someone around to talk to and play with, however, living with a family that practices polygamy may sometimes result in unwanted violence. As the children progress through life and they see abuse of power from the father figure and the constant arguments between the sister wives, they will begin to believe that it is normal for the men to abuse their
power.
Throughout the life of the involved children, they will begin to develop their personal opinions toward their families, and most of the time it is not positive. Children involved in the relationship may start to revolt because of various reasons. The children will start to revolt against their parents mainly because of the lack of knowledge of who is raising them, and not wanting to listen to anyone. Children growing up in these types of polygamous families are presented with mixed signals about the roles of the adults and the roles of families.
Another reason plural relationships wrong is the emotional distress it causes the mothers.
Last week, The National, a leading newspaper out of the United Arab Emirates, published news of emerging research that reveals how polygamy is injurious to the mental health of women in such relationships, fostering negative emotions and ultimately creating harmful patterns that detract from having a healthy emotional life. One person thinks they have control or own another. When this occurs, the spouse may feel powerless. Women in polygamous relationships sometimes worry about being replaced by a younger woman. When the husband comes home from work, he plays with the children, and is often too tired to interact with all of his wives. His slacking with interacting with his wives causes tension between them. Some may feel as though he spends too much time with one. Others may also feel that he is just getting tired and does not want to spend time with her anymore. Because of this, the wives will start to resent one another. This can also lead to more dysfunctions throughout the
household.
Before Same-Sex Marriages were legalized, sometimes plural marriages were given marriage certificates and same-sex relationships weren’t. In the Supreme Court Case of Obergefell v. Hodges it left an opposing question, the issue was hard to discuss candidly while same-sex marriage was still pending; because both sides knew that association with plural marriage, a more unpopular cause, could have stymied progress for gay rights. The Salt Lake Tribune made political cartoons describing the unfair, but true; treatment of same-sex marriages and plural marriages. Legalizing polygamy would encourage the idea that women are to be treated as objects who belong to their husbands.
In some countries, polygamy may be seen as morally right due to the shortage of women. If every man married four of them, some have stated, then all women would have a male guardian, a protector, and someone to support them. In a study conducted by Dr. Rana Raddawi, an English professor at the American University of Sharjah, surveyed 100 Arab women who were in polygamous marriages and found that many of them were consumed by feelings of neglect and jealousy that severely impacted their lives and mental health.
Last week, The National, a leading newspaper out of the United Arab Emirates, published news of emerging research that reveals how polygamy is injurious to the mental health of women in such relationships, fostering negative emotions and ultimately creating harmful patterns that detract from having a healthy emotional life. Legalizing polygamy would encourage the idea that women are to be treated as objects who belong to their husbands.