New Utah law effectively decriminalizes bigamy

(Image credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

published 13 May 2020

Bigamy is no longer a felony in Utah, with a new law that took effect on Tuesday making it an infraction instead.

When bigamy was a third-degree felony in Utah, a person found guilty could face up to five years in jail and a fine of $5,000. There are several religious groups in the state that practice polygamy, but Utah's attorney general's office only prosecuted people when multiple crimes were committed.

Supporters of the new law said it keeps polygamists from going underground over fears of being prosecuted, and will make it easier for abuse victims to come forward. Groups that oppose polygamy argue that this law is a step toward legalizing the practice. The Sound Choices Coalition, an anti-polygamy organization, said in a statement that the new law is "abhorrent" as religious polygamy is "responsible for many serious human rights violations," with most women "treated as property, forced to work without pay, traded as daughters, [and] coerced into having unwanted sex and into giving birth to numerous children they cannot care for."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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