Civil Liberties: Would Ron Paul legalize polygamy?

[Tannenzäpfle]

The arguments supporting gay marriage are mostly equally valid for polygamy, and as I understand it, Ron Paul has voiced tacit support for gay marriage in the sense that "it's none of the government's business what adults consent to". And as a bonus, the Bible doesn't really condemn polygamy.

I'm speaking as a libertarian who thinks polygamy should be legal, but my question is this:

Would Ron Paul allow people to marry more than one person at a time?

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

By getting the government out of marriage, yes.

I think it'd be better to state that it would be decriminalized, though. Legalization typically implies that the state would still be the arbiter of what relationships should be.

The only limit to marriage that Ron Paul subscribes to involves consent (or more accurately, the lack thereof).

Under a Paulian administration, Mitt Romney's forebears wouldn't had to have fled America to Mexico because of governmental religious persecution.

 

[brandon]

He would legalize dueling too.

 

[Dr.3D]

I'm sure, Dr. Paul would say, 'let that be a states issue.' The federal government doesn't have the authority to make any of those things illegal.

 

[torchbearer]

not a federal issue. please get an education.

 

[RM918]

I'd wager it somewhere near the extreme bottom of his priorities list.

 

[Sunstruck-Eden]

He would legalize dueling too.

What? Like dueling dueling? Like Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton style?!

I LOVE THIS MAN (although I by no way want people to die from this stuff. I just think people should be able to duel/fight each other without getting the authorities involved).

 

[Dr.3D]

Dueling banjos.

 

[acptulsa]

I'd wager it somewhere near the extreme bottom of his priorities list.

This.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no federal law against it. Also to the best of my knowledge, the presidency is a federal position. So, he would be in no position to affect any of our many laws against it. At all.

And wouldn't if he could.

 

[trey4sports]

he's not legalizing it. He's getting the government out of the equation. Government is not ALLOWING it, Ron is merely stating that the government should have no say in the matter.

 

[Elwar]

Why should a couple have a government certificate telling them that they are married?

 

[Icymudpuppy]

What? Like dueling dueling? Like Aaron Burr/Alexander Hamilton style?!

I LOVE THIS MAN (although I by no way want people to die from this stuff. I just think people should be able to duel/fight each other without getting the authorities involved).

I can think of several neocons I'd challenge right now.

 

[farreri]

Would Ron Paul allow people to marry more than one person at a time?

Criminalizing polygamy is unconstitutional IMO because the 1st Amend. says "Freedom of Religion" and polygamy is a part of the Mormon religion (for example).

 

[jcarcinogen]

Marriage is a religious sacrament. Government involvement created the problem.

 

[amy31416]

He'd "legalize" freedom, and part of freedom is that consenting adults can do what they want. I don't give a rat's ass what your ethics are, that's the way it should be.

Personally, I think ethics evolve (partially) from seeing the havoc these sorts of things can wreak, whether that is drugs, various types of marriage, various type of governance, etc. How will human beings ever learn and evolve without the freedom to do stupid things?

 

[archangel689]

Why is it the job of the government to have anything, anything at all, to do with marriage?

If you read the constitution there is no power granted to be involved in any such thing.

When you make something that you feel is immoral, illegal... someone in the future will have the precedent to take a right off of YOU because they think that it is immoral.

You can't chop freedom into pieces, once you erode it, it will continue to erode until there is nothing left.

In here the answer lies at exactly 13 minutes in so scrub to 13 minutes in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BWEBXKOkaI

 

[The Beastly One]

Interestingly enough neither do the states, I believe. A vote in the individual state could invoke certain temporary restrictions on these issues, but the 'no state shall create law or legislation contrary to the Constitution of the United States of America' bit sort of precludes it. The tenth ammendment is fairly clear about the liberty of the individual...I think.

 

[Tannenzäpfle]

Criminalizing polygamy is unconstitutional IMO because the 1st Amend. says "Freedom of Religion" and polygamy is a part of the Mormon religion (for example).

For what it's worth, the LDS Church formally divorced itself from the practice in 1890.

 

[Kandilynn]

I would like to see it decriminalized, along with polyandry. I wouldn't personally choose to take part in a plural marriage, but I would defend the right of other consenting adults to do so.

 

[cindy25]

state issue