COLUMN: Polygamy should be a choice
 
By Jon Cox
The Utah Statesman - Utah State University
 
Police arrested Warren Jeffs nearly two weeks ago in Las Vegas. Now he's in Utah awaiting prosecution, and many in the state are downright giddy.

Here, Jeffs is charged with two felony counts of rape as an accomplice. In Arizona, he faces sexual misconduct charges. The charges stem from his performance of marriage ceremonies between underage girls and older men. If convicted, Jeffs could serve life in prison.

Interestingly enough, they chose to ship him to Utah rather than prosecute him in Arizona. Supposedly, they wanted to try him in the state where the most charges had been levied. But in my opinion, they also wanted to try him in the location where they are most likely to get a conviction.

Many Utahns are circling the wagons, ready with their 72-hour kits of tar and feathers for the Jeffs case. Those fundamentalists have been giving us a bad name and it's about time someone put an end to it. So, we hunt down their prophet and stick him in the Purgatory Jail (now that sounds like a pleasant place). In addition we arrest his younger brother, John Jeffs, also of Colorado City, this Wednesday on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Let the witch hunt begin.

According to the 2004 count, Utah is now 62.4 percent LDS. One would think that LDS members would be more sympathetic to the cause of such polygamous sects. After all, their own ancestors were persecuted for practicing the same belief. Ironically though, LDS members tend to be the most aggressive condemners of plural marriage.

Many Mormons seem unsure about their church's history with plural marriage. Some try to explain it as something that was done at the time solely for the purpose of economically taking care of many underprivileged Mormon women. But if that was the case, why does the church still believe in the practice of polygamy, even today?

After his first wife had passed away, Elder Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle for the LDS Church, married another woman, Kristen McMain. In a Jan. 2002 address to college-aged students, Oaks referred to McMain as "the eternal companion who now stands at my side." That would be eternal companion numero dos, or in other words, polygamy. Many other LDS men with deceased spouses have done the same.

LDS members who so vehemently oppose polygamy should also remember that in so doing they are also criminalizing Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Abraham, Moses, and Jacob among many others they consider prophets.

Now, the Jeffs case may be unique in that he is accused of marrying underage girls to other men rather than polygamy itself. But the law against plural marriage is still on the books, and Jeffs would not have been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list if he was not the polygamist group's leader. I don't condone the actions of Jeffs, but did he really merit that distinction? There are a lot of bad people out there more deserving of "Most Wanted" status (e.g. that one Utahn who killed his mom earlier this month and stuffed her body in a freezer comes to mind).

Set aside the issues of tax evasion, marrying of minors, and welfare fraud that has occurred in certain polygamous communities, and consider the practice by itself. Why should polygamy be considered illegal?

People can legally have sex with as many partners as they wish. You can live with multiple partners at the same time and have children with every one of them. But the moment those individuals choose to marry, we toss them in jail. Where is the logic behind that?

Studies have found polygamy present throughout much of the world, specifically fundamentalist Muslim, Jewish, and Mormon cultures. Even Martin Luther, the father of the Reformation, called plural marriage a permissible practice. Some sources estimate tens of thousands of polygamists live in the United States alone. But are they all really criminals?

Personally, I don't feel comfortable with the principle of plural marriage. As a Mormon, I hope the LDS Church never reinstates it. Even if they did, I would never want to take part in it.

But I certainly won't try to punish others who wish to practice it. Even if it makes some in the world frown on my faith.

Jon Cox is a senior in journalism. Send comments on this column to jcox@cc.usu.edu
 
utahstatesman.com
Originally published September 8, 2006
 
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