Saturday, January 7, 2012

What's wrong with polygamy, exactly?

Rick Santorum's comparison between gay marriage and polygamy has me wondering exactly what the rationale is for it being banned. As long as everyone is of age, free of coercion, and none of the marriages are secret, where's the problem? If one actually takes separation of church and state seriously, then marriage boils down to legal agreements (I personally think that religious marriage should carry no legal weight whatsoever). Framed in that way, it clearly is another case of trying to legislate morality. While it pains me to agree with Mr. Santorum on anything, it does follow that if one accepts gay marriage one must also accept polygamy. Of course, he's hoping I'll have some visceral reaction of intolerance at the association. I reserve that sort of response for politicians of his ilk.