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Norway’s Polygamy Problem a Sign of Things to Come

By Terry Vanderheyden

OSLO, November 15, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Norway’s Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has reported that despite its illegality, polygamy is becoming increasingly prevalent in the country.

The UDI explained that men traveling abroad meet and marry women where polygamy is legal and then bring their new wives home to Norway to join their harems.

Pro-family leaders and organizations have been warning for some time that liberalization of marriage laws to allow same-sex “marriage” will open the door to all manner of aberrations including incest and polygamy.

The Canadian Liberal government itself, fearing the possible increase in polygamy following same-sex “marriage” legislation enacted earlier this year, commissioned a study to determine what loopholes the new law would create for those they feared might exploit the new definition of marriage, arguing they have a religious right to have multiple wives.

Conservative Justice Critic Vic Toews, commenting on the study, argued that legal challenges to marriage laws from polygamist groups are likely once marriage was redefined to include same-sex couples.

“Once you change the definition of marriage from one man and one woman, and you move to two persons, what then is the distinction between two persons or three or more persons? Toews argued. “If I was a lawyer defending polygamists, I'd say, ‘Hey, this is a constitutional right, a freedom of religion.’ Why can't freedom of religion trump this new definition of marriage?”

The Netherlands was quick to confirm the warnings from pro-family sources – the government there approved a polygamous union in September, when a Dutch man and two women were given a license for their three-way “marriage.”

During Canadian debate of the same-sex “marriage” law, Liberal MP Tom Wappel also warned that the next logical step was the legalization of polygamy. “Those who argue in favour of polygamy will say, ‘How can we end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in marriage but continue to permit discrimination on the basis of religious beliefs in marriage?’”

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Polygamy next, Canadian Liberals Fear
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jan/05012006.html
Dutch Couple Contracts with Second Woman in Netherlands’ First Legal Polygamy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/sep/05093008.html
Polygamy Study Driven by Liberal Concern over Gay “Marriage” Legislation
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05022807.html
The Broken Windows Theory of Marriage
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jan/050127a.html
Liberal MP Tom Wappel Smashes Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Arguments; Warns Polygamy Next
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05022106.html
Provincial Attorney-General Warns Canada's Polygamy Law Open to Legal Challenge
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/05020406.html
UN: Don't Worry About our Support for Gay 'Marriage'; We Support Polygamy Too
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/mar/04032301.html

 

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