Bigamy



Came across this this morning:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5255707/Bigamist-spotted-Ant-Decs-TV-jailed.html

A fella has been sent to prison for committing bigamy after his first wife spotted him on Saturday Night Takeaway.

It got me thinking though, today alternative relationships such as polyamorous seem to be more socially acceptable. Should bigamy still be a criminal offence?

I understand in this case he's done it secretly while separated from his first wife. To me that seems more a case for a divorce with him as the guilty party than something he should do time for.

I also understand there could be issues with abusing the system, people marrying multiple partners for citizenship purposes for example. That feels like it's already an issue with monogamous marriage though.

I feel that the majority of people in this country aren't marrying for religious reasons. It's primarily because you love your partner and want to spend your life with them, there are also legal reasons to do it such as inheritance laws. With that in mind the old christian "marriage is between one man and one woman" adage doesn't really seem like a good enough reason not to allow bigamy.

I guess there's an argument it could do more harm than good, I don't think that necessarily enough to justify it being a criminal offence today.
Aye,fair point,if you weren't married you're just fooling around.Canny odd how they bother with the marriage bit though which may suggest a more calculating plot to defraud and deceive for gain
 
I like this one from Bob Hope.

Bigamy is the only crime where two rites make a wrong.

It got me thinking though, today alternative relationships such as polyamorous seem to be more socially acceptable. Should bigamy still be a criminal offence?

I feel that the majority of people in this country aren't marrying for religious reasons. It's primarily because you love your partner and want to spend your life with them, there are also legal reasons to do it such as inheritance laws. With that in mind the old christian "marriage is between one man and one woman" adage doesn't really seem like a good enough reason not to allow bigamy.

I guess there's an argument it could do more harm than good, I don't think that necessarily enough to justify it being a criminal offence today.
I think that the practice belongs in the past, at it's core it just becomes a use of women as an ostentatious display of wealth. Imho that is how you'd see it displayed if it were decriminalized.
 
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I think that the practice belongs in the past, at it's core it just becomes a use of women as an ostentatious display of wealth. Imho that is how you'd see it displayed if it were decriminalized.

Today it could just as easily be women with multiple husbands.

The legalities of bigamy doesn't prevent people practicing living in polyamorous relationships, it just prevents them from having the legal rights or responsibilities marriage can provide.
 
Today it could just as easily be women with multiple husbands.

The legalities of bigamy doesn't prevent people practicing living in polyamorous relationships, it just prevents them from having the legal rights or responsibilities marriage can provide.
I agree but I'm just saying that imo that's how we'd see it displayed in popular culture.

If anyone wants to live in a polyamorous relationship then I suppose they can be drawing up any legal contract they want without going through a civil/religious ritual to put an official stamp on it. I think that there's so little call for the practice that this should satisfy anyone who wants to live their lives that way.
 
Came across this this morning:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5255707/Bigamist-spotted-Ant-Decs-TV-jailed.html

A fella has been sent to prison for committing bigamy after his first wife spotted him on Saturday Night Takeaway.

It got me thinking though, today alternative relationships such as polyamorous seem to be more socially acceptable. Should bigamy still be a criminal offence?

I understand in this case he's done it secretly while separated from his first wife. To me that seems more a case for a divorce with him as the guilty party than something he should do time for.

I also understand there could be issues with abusing the system, people marrying multiple partners for citizenship purposes for example. That feels like it's already an issue with monogamous marriage though.

I feel that the majority of people in this country aren't marrying for religious reasons. It's primarily because you love your partner and want to spend your life with them, there are also legal reasons to do it such as inheritance laws. With that in mind the old christian "marriage is between one man and one woman" adage doesn't really seem like a good enough reason not to allow bigamy.

I guess there's an argument it could do more harm than good, I don't think that necessarily enough to justify it being a criminal offence today.

I don’t see the problem.

If you want an open relationship then just accept you can’t get married.
 
Came across this this morning:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5255707/Bigamist-spotted-Ant-Decs-TV-jailed.html

A fella has been sent to prison for committing bigamy after his first wife spotted him on Saturday Night Takeaway.

It got me thinking though, today alternative relationships such as polyamorous seem to be more socially acceptable. Should bigamy still be a criminal offence?

I understand in this case he's done it secretly while separated from his first wife. To me that seems more a case for a divorce with him as the guilty party than something he should do time for.

I also understand there could be issues with abusing the system, people marrying multiple partners for citizenship purposes for example. That feels like it's already an issue with monogamous marriage though.

I feel that the majority of people in this country aren't marrying for religious reasons. It's primarily because you love your partner and want to spend your life with them, there are also legal reasons to do it such as inheritance laws. With that in mind the old christian "marriage is between one man and one woman" adage doesn't really seem like a good enough reason not to allow bigamy.

I guess there's an argument it could do more harm than good, I don't think that necessarily enough to justify it being a criminal offence today.

No, it shouldn't be a criminal offence with the exception of any associated tax fraud etc.
 

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