{"tag":"property law","articles":{"blog\/politics\/legalising-poly-marriages-why-not":{"key":"blog\/politics\/legalising-poly-marriages-why-not","type":"article","published":true,"meta":{"createdAt":"2019-07-07T22:31:37+02:00","publishedAt":"2019-08-16T19:47:00+02:00","group":"polyamory","category":"blog","subcategory":"politics","slug":"legalising-poly-marriages-why-not"},"content":{"en":{"slug":"legalising-poly-marriages-why-not","title":"Legalising poly marriages \u2013 why not?","intro":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\n                \u003Cnoscript\u003E\n                    \u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_small.png\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 class=\u0022border-bottom\u0022 width=\u0022480\u0022 height=\u0022233.31581713085\u0022\u003E                \n                \u003C\/noscript\u003E\n                \u003Cspan class=\u0022hide-noscript\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022data:image\/png;base64,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\u0022 data-src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_small.png\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 class=\u0022border-bottom\u0022 width=\u0022480\u0022 height=\u0022233.31581713085\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n                \n            \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENo, honestly, why not? I know why \u003Cem\u003Eyes\u003C\/em\u003E, that question is boring, I don\u2019t need anyone convincing me that it\u2019s possible and probably very rewarding to love and be in relationship with more than one person, or that having legal protections for such relationships would be nice.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut I\u2019m curious what would the challenges of such a possibility be.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Csvg xmlns=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E","content":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\n                \u003Cnoscript\u003E\n                    \u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_big.png\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 class=\u0022border\u0022 width=\u0022960\u0022 height=\u0022466.63163426169\u0022\u003E                \n                \u003C\/noscript\u003E\n                \u003Cspan class=\u0022hide-noscript\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022data:image\/png;base64,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\u0022 data-src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_big.png\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 class=\u0022border\u0022 width=\u0022960\u0022 height=\u0022466.63163426169\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n                \u003Cfigcaption\u003E\n                    \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kialo.com\/should-polygamy-be-legal-939\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\n                        \u003Csvg class=\u0022icon\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022#light-link\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E\n                        kialo.com\/should-polygamy-be-legal-939\n                    \u003C\/a\u003E\n                \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n            \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENo, honestly, why not? I know why \u003Cem\u003Eyes\u003C\/em\u003E, that question is boring, I don\u2019t need anyone convincing me that it\u2019s possible and probably very rewarding to love and be in relationship with more than one person, or that having legal protections for such relationships would be nice.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut I\u2019m curious what would the challenges of such a possibility be.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EObviously, it wouldn\u2019t be socially popular, some people would definitely give you strange looks if you decided to petition for opening marriages to more than two spouses. And churches will definitely give you a hard time, calling you a perverted libertine and whatever other slurs they can come up with.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey have been doing it when it comes to marriage equality for the \u003Ca href=\u0022\/tag\/LGBTQ\u0022\u003E\u003Csvg class=\u0022icon\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022#light-tag\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E LGBTQ\u003C\/a\u003E people, but history shows us that the fight is worth it and bigotry loses at the end.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo let\u2019s assume we live in the world where people can agree that the government isn\u2019t there to police anyone\u2019s morality if it doesn\u2019t hurt other people. What would the \u003Cem\u003Eactual\u003C\/em\u003E challenges be?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI looked it up on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kialo.com\/should-polygamy-be-legal-939\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\u003Csvg class=\u0022icon\u0022\u003E\u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022#light-link\u0022\u003E\u003C\/use\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E Kialo\u003C\/a\u003E to see what ideas people had.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EIt\u2019s simply not needed\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople can already date as many people as they like. There is no need for a legal acknowledgment in form of marriage.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe government has no compelling interest to sanction or incentivize any type of marriage, including polygamy.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d agree with those claims, if they referred to abolishing the institution of marriage completely. If, however, marriage still exists and claims like these one are used to restrict only some kind of marriages from being allowed \u2013 that\u2019s not a logically sound argument, that\u2019s just concealed discrimination.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs long as we live in a society where relationships are being validated by the government and guarantee some legal protections, this institution is exactly as needed by the monogamous couples, as it is by polygamous groups.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat about human rights?\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPolygamy violates human rights.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHow exactly does it? How does an egalitarian, consensual polyamorous marriage violate human rights? I\u2019d argue the opposite, actually: it gives you an option of legal protections for your relationship regardless of its \u201cshape\u201d. That extends your rights, doesn\u2019t it?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI know, I know, polygamy is usually associated with women in Arabic countries held in harems against their will and being abused by their husbands. But is polygamy \u003Cem\u003Ereally\u003C\/em\u003E the problem here? Not patriarchy? Not misogyny? Not religion?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUsum non tollit abusus: The misuse does not negate the use.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EHealth risks?\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPolygamy comes along with health risks.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m pretty sure this person is confusing having sex with multiple partners with getting married to multiple partners.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMarriage is a social and legal contract. No, it does not pose any health risks by itself.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ELegal issues could get complicated\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EConferring and navigating the legal rights conferred by polygamy to multiple partners vis-a-vis themselves would be unworkable.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring medical emergencies swift decision making is often necessary. So, a legal stalemate could be harmful to an injured spouse.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt first that felt scary. I imagined I\u2019m unconscious in a hospital bed and one of my spouses thinks I should be treated with X, but the other is sure that it should be Y. Precious time is running out as they can\u2019t reach a consensus... Will I die because of having too many spouses?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd then I remembered: plenty of people have two parents, right? As children, unmarried, it\u2019s their parents\u2019 right to decide about their treatment: what if \u003Cem\u003Ethey\u003C\/em\u003E disagree?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI honestly don\u2019t know, the rules are probably vastly different depending on a country, but I\u2019m guessing... They both probably live together, share the same values, etc., so that wouldn\u2019t happen often. If it does, they both love the child, want their best and will therefore be willing to reach a compromise regardless of their own differences. Maybe there\u2019s some default by law, maybe someone\u2019s word takes precedence because of reasons. And, if time is not too short, one can definitely ask the court to arbitrate.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe point is: if we manage to solve that problem in case of two disagreeing parents, why not two spouses?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI didn\u2019t see anyone mention is specifically, but the whole \u201cit would get complicated\u201d has to also include the property law: how does it work if three people are married to each other? what if one person is married independently to two separate people? what if they get a divorce, who gets the house?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI totally agree, that\u2019s damn complicated. But you know what else is complicated? The current property law. Even between two spouses, the possible types of agreements between them and all the problems they might encounter, seem endless for me.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe already have plenty of situations, unrelated to any type of romantic relationships, where something is collectively owned by more than two people: firms, cooperatives, joint-stock companies, ...\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EProgramming is damn complicated, but I do it every day. We have lawmakers and lawyers to navigate us through complicated legal issues. We can do it.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022blockquote ml-4 pl-4 border-left\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJust because it\u2019s difficult, doesn\u2019t mean it shouldn\u2019t be done.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ESumming up\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYeah, it would probably get a bit complicated. Why is it a reason not to do it though?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Csvg xmlns=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\u0022 style=\u0022display: none;\u0022\u003E\u003C\/svg\u003E","tags":["challenges","discussion","kialo","law","legal system","marriage","marriage equality","poly","polygamy","property law"],"hasMore":true,"image":"https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_small.png","introLite":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_big.png\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_mini.png\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 width=\u0022240\u0022 height=\u0022116.65790856542\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENo, honestly, why not? I know why \u003Cem\u003Eyes\u003C\/em\u003E, that question is boring, I don\u2019t need anyone convincing me that it\u2019s possible and probably very rewarding to love and be in relationship with more than one person, or that having legal protections for such relationships would be nice.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut I\u2019m curious what would the challenges of such a possibility be.\u003C\/p\u003E","contentLite":"\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_big.png\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/avris.it\/image\/kialo-polygamy_mini.png\u0022 alt=\u0022\u0022 width=\u0022240\u0022 height=\u0022116.65790856542\u0022 loading=\u0022lazy\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\n                    \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kialo.com\/should-polygamy-be-legal-939\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E\u003Csmall\u003Ekialo.com\/should-polygamy-be-legal-939\u003C\/small\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\n                \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENo, honestly, why not? I know why \u003Cem\u003Eyes\u003C\/em\u003E, that question is boring, I don\u2019t need anyone convincing me that it\u2019s possible and probably very rewarding to love and be in relationship with more than one person, or that having legal protections for such relationships would be nice.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBut I\u2019m curious what would the challenges of such a possibility be.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EObviously, it wouldn\u2019t be socially popular, some people would definitely give you strange looks if you decided to petition for opening marriages to more than two spouses. And churches will definitely give you a hard time, calling you a perverted libertine and whatever other slurs they can come up with.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThey have been doing it when it comes to marriage equality for the \u003Ca href=\u0022\/tag\/LGBTQ\u0022\u003E LGBTQ\u003C\/a\u003E people, but history shows us that the fight is worth it and bigotry loses at the end.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESo let\u2019s assume we live in the world where people can agree that the government isn\u2019t there to police anyone\u2019s morality if it doesn\u2019t hurt other people. What would the \u003Cem\u003Eactual\u003C\/em\u003E challenges be?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI looked it up on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kialo.com\/should-polygamy-be-legal-939\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener\u0022\u003E Kialo\u003C\/a\u003E to see what ideas people had.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EIt\u2019s simply not needed\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople can already date as many people as they like. There is no need for a legal acknowledgment in form of marriage.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe government has no compelling interest to sanction or incentivize any type of marriage, including polygamy.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d agree with those claims, if they referred to abolishing the institution of marriage completely. If, however, marriage still exists and claims like these one are used to restrict only some kind of marriages from being allowed \u2013 that\u2019s not a logically sound argument, that\u2019s just concealed discrimination.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs long as we live in a society where relationships are being validated by the government and guarantee some legal protections, this institution is exactly as needed by the monogamous couples, as it is by polygamous groups.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EWhat about human rights?\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPolygamy violates human rights.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHow exactly does it? How does an egalitarian, consensual polyamorous marriage violate human rights? I\u2019d argue the opposite, actually: it gives you an option of legal protections for your relationship regardless of its \u201cshape\u201d. That extends your rights, doesn\u2019t it?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI know, I know, polygamy is usually associated with women in Arabic countries held in harems against their will and being abused by their husbands. But is polygamy \u003Cem\u003Ereally\u003C\/em\u003E the problem here? Not patriarchy? Not misogyny? Not religion?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUsum non tollit abusus: The misuse does not negate the use.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EHealth risks?\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPolygamy comes along with health risks.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m pretty sure this person is confusing having sex with multiple partners with getting married to multiple partners.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMarriage is a social and legal contract. No, it does not pose any health risks by itself.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ELegal issues could get complicated\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EConferring and navigating the legal rights conferred by polygamy to multiple partners vis-a-vis themselves would be unworkable.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring medical emergencies swift decision making is often necessary. So, a legal stalemate could be harmful to an injured spouse.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAt first that felt scary. I imagined I\u2019m unconscious in a hospital bed and one of my spouses thinks I should be treated with X, but the other is sure that it should be Y. Precious time is running out as they can\u2019t reach a consensus... Will I die because of having too many spouses?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd then I remembered: plenty of people have two parents, right? As children, unmarried, it\u2019s their parents\u2019 right to decide about their treatment: what if \u003Cem\u003Ethey\u003C\/em\u003E disagree?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI honestly don\u2019t know, the rules are probably vastly different depending on a country, but I\u2019m guessing... They both probably live together, share the same values, etc., so that wouldn\u2019t happen often. If it does, they both love the child, want their best and will therefore be willing to reach a compromise regardless of their own differences. Maybe there\u2019s some default by law, maybe someone\u2019s word takes precedence because of reasons. And, if time is not too short, one can definitely ask the court to arbitrate.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe point is: if we manage to solve that problem in case of two disagreeing parents, why not two spouses?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI didn\u2019t see anyone mention is specifically, but the whole \u201cit would get complicated\u201d has to also include the property law: how does it work if three people are married to each other? what if one person is married independently to two separate people? what if they get a divorce, who gets the house?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI totally agree, that\u2019s damn complicated. But you know what else is complicated? The current property law. Even between two spouses, the possible types of agreements between them and all the problems they might encounter, seem endless for me.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe already have plenty of situations, unrelated to any type of romantic relationships, where something is collectively owned by more than two people: firms, cooperatives, joint-stock companies, ...\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EProgramming is damn complicated, but I do it every day. We have lawmakers and lawyers to navigate us through complicated legal issues. We can do it.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cblockquote\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJust because it\u2019s difficult, doesn\u2019t mean it shouldn\u2019t be done.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003ESumming up\u003C\/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYeah, it would probably get a bit complicated. Why is it a reason not to do it though?\u003C\/p\u003E","words":888,"readTime":4,"lang":"en"}}}}}