This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
No evidence of hurting young women? ("Judge backs 'sister wives,'" Tribune, Dec. 14) Maybe Federal Judge Clark Waddoups is talking about evidence that independent polygamists do it.
But there is loads and loads of evidence that this lifestyle has caused much direct harm to women, girls (and some "lost" boys). I guess he couldn't take multiple rapes of young women in Utah and Texas in the various polygamy groups into account because they're not independent groups.
I guess he couldn't take the kidnapping and continuous rape of Elizabeth Smart into account (oh, but I thought her abductor was an independent "polygamist").
I guess he wasn't able to take other cases of forced marriages into account for the same reason, but perhaps the way that cases like this are considered need to be changed to common sense!
Monogamous relationships (both gay and straight) are not perfect, but they have not been shown to cause the inherent problems that polygamy often causes (second class citizenship of women). Our neighbors and often liberal considered country of Canada looked at this issue and determined that this lifestyle has shown over and over that it causes these inherent problems, and they did not legalize it in any way. This judge or another should reconsider!
Kim Summers
Salt Lake City