A study conducted for the Canadian federal Justice Department has recommended that Canada ditch its laws banning polygamy.
“Criminalization does not address the harms associated with valid foreign polygamous marriages and plural unions, in particular the harms to women,” the report states, as reported by the Canadian Press, which obtained data through the Access to Information Act. “The report therefore recommends that this provision be repealed.”
The Liberals commissioned the polygamy study last winter, driven by the fear that opening the door to same-sex “marriage” would also pave the way for the legalization of polygamy. The study was paid for by the Justice Department and by Status of Women Canada. It was conducted by three law professors from Queen’s University in Kingston.
Lead author of the study, Martha Bailey, argued that keeping polygamy illegal served no useful purpose. “Why criminalize the behaviour?” Bailey asked. “We don’t criminalize adultery. In light of the fact that we have a fairly permissive society, why are we singling out that particular form of behaviour for criminalization?”
Bailey emphasized that other problems associated with polygamy should be dealt with. “If there are problems such as child abuse or spousal abuse, there are other criminal provisions or other laws dealing with those problems that certainly should be enforced,” she said.
Leading up to the legalization of same-sex “marriage” by the ruling Liberal government last year, Conservative leader Stephen Harper warned that it could lead to the legalization of polygamy. “I believe we have to recognize the traditional definition of marriage in law; otherwise, we will continue to be presented with demands that just get more and more radical. I don’t believe there’s any support in the country for the recognition of polygamy in law.”
This story originally appeared Jan. 13 at LifeSiteNews.com.
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