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ORIGINAL: matrad6781
It would certainly make murky some legal issues, like estate taxes, divorce settlements, child custody, power of attorney, wills/probate, joint tax return filing, marriage deductions, marital communication privilege, joint property, death and social security benefits, “death tax”, conjugal visitation rights, etc.
That is the most reasonable objection I have ever heard regarding why polygamy should not be legal. As Mistrad says, these are civil matters, not criminal. However, as a matter of public policy, the state has an interest in avoiding these murky legal issues. Were polygamy to be allowed, there would have to be a number of new laws written to deal with these murky legal issues.
Polygamy has been practiced for thousands of years, and in many societies throughout history has been just as common as monogamy. There are legal traditions in these countries that work with the issues of polygamy, so it is not inconceivable that similar laws could be adapted to our culture. However, there are more important issues to consider. Eventually, polygamy probably will be allowed. But first we have to handle a number of other problems that are much more pressing.
