From WJLA:
Utah advances plan to remove felony status for polygamy
by LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press Friday, February 28th 2020SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Polygamy wouldn’t be a felony crime in Utah for the first time in 85 years under a bill that passed the Legislature on Friday and appears to be supported by the governor.
Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly for the proposal that supporters said will allow the 30,000 or so people living in the state’s polygamous communities to come out of the shadows and report abuses such as underage marriage by other polygamists without fear of prosecution….
So, like everything else these days, decriminalizing polygamy is being framed as a Safety measure.
Republican Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has indicated he will likely sign the proposal that makes polygamy between consenting adults an infraction, like a traffic offense, that carries no possible jail time. …
Are there any polygamous African Mormon immigrants? I don’t think Mormons by themselves have enough PR clout to push polygamy nationally, but if you team up Mormon money and competence with sacralized black refugees from Africa, well …
