The return of polygamy in the United States? A Utah Senate committee unanimously passed a bill to decriminalize this way of life, still practiced by thousands of families in this birthplace of the Mormon religion.
The text, which must be submitted to the approval of all senators, amends a law of 2017 making polygamy a "crime" punishable by five years in prison, or even fifteen years if it is accompanied by violence, abuse or of fraud. The bill does not call into question the provisions relating to abuse or other crimes, but relegates polygamy between consenting adults to the rank of a simple "offense" liable to a fine of $ 750.
Easier reporting of abuse
The amount of this fine is lower than for certain traffic offenses. Opponents of this measure believe that it will contribute to reinforcing the abuses committed within polygamous families. "The bill does not protect the thousands of victims who have been programmed since birth [...] to 'shut up, obey, be polygamous or be destroyed'," accuses Sound Choices Coalition, an NGO fighting polygamy.
Conversely, Senator Henderson maintains that her bill will make it easier for victims to report abuse, without fear of being prosecuted for polygamy. An argument taken up by the human rights organization ACLU, in favor of the bill in the name of "freedom of religion and belief".
"We support the decriminalization" of polygamy when it involves "consenting adults," said Marina Lowe, a member of the ACLU in Utah. "This has been the position of our organization since 1991."
A religious practice
Utah justice does not usually prosecute couples who practice consensual polygamy. But the subject is an important issue in the state, where some 60% of the population (around three million inhabitants) belong to the Mormon Church. The latter long claimed this practice for religious reasons, before banning it formally in 1890 under pressure from the federal state.
But several dozen fundamentalists, grouped in dissident cults, are still polygamous. Some families are not hiding and have even participated in reality shows or written books on the subject.
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