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Search the Utah Code (http://le.utah.gov/dtForms/code.html - broken link)
76-7-101. Bigamy -- Defense.
(1) A person is guilty of bigamy when, knowing he has a husband or wife or knowing the other person has a husband or wife, the person purports to marry another person or cohabits with another person.
It took me seconds to find that law... I just can't imagine a lawyer or someone they knew or even one of them not looking up the laws in Utah and realizing that coming out in the open was going to have consequences.
They are purporting that they are all married to Kody. Being legally married doesn't matter in Utah.
Before you criticize Utah for their bigamy law, you have to realize that they were denied statehood several times because of polygamy, so I think because of this they have made their bigamy laws a little more stringent in an effort to try and show that they truly are against polygamy.
Or cohabits with another person? What? That is pretty vague. So if my parents bring grandma home to live with them, they are committing bigamy? Or they rent out the downstairs bedroom to a college student, and they are committing bigamy?
Or cohabits with another person? What? That is pretty vague. So if my parents bring grandma home to live with them, they are committing bigamy? Or they rent out the downstairs bedroom to a college student, and they are committing bigamy?
It is vague, but it's a rarely prosecuted law. Utah has some really odd laws on their books (not kidding, heels over 3 inches high are illegal). And renting a portion of your home is not the same as having someone cohabit in the home with you. It's a legal contract and is not in violation of the law.
But the point is, the Browns are violating 2 parts of the bigamy law, and in my opinion the one that got them investigated was that they were purporting that they were all married to Kody.
I don't think they ever actually charged with anything though. The state had to investigate when they decided to do the TV show, but that was awhile ago and nothing has happened since.
Funny isn't it. They seem so much happier than the family I came from but no one, and many knew, stood up my brother and me. What good is a law if it only serves to tear families apart and fails to protect the ones who have no voice?
Funny isn't it. They seem so much happier than the family I came from but no one, and many knew, stood up my brother and me. What good is a law if it only serves to tear families apart and fails to protect the ones who have no voice?
Like I pointed out, the law was created more behind what happened when Utah became a state. They were denied statehood for accepting the practice of polygamy and it took them 6 years after they stopped practicing to still receive statehood. Because of that struggle the state I think was a little over zealous when writing their bigamy laws.
But... the Browns (as far as I know) were never actually prosecuted. They were just investigated, I honestly don't think the state had a desire to prosecute them but were obligated to investigate because of the TV show.
This thread is very little about Christianity and very big about politics..
C L O S E D
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