Polygamy in Canada

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Recommended: Short note on polygamy

Within Canada we have a generous amount of freedom but this leads to the abuse of our system. This is especially true with regards to polygamy in Bountiful, BC. Because women are susceptible to mental abuse in polygamist relationships it should continue to be illegal in Canada. If this law is in enforced it would help women to be freed of the oppression caused by male domination, eliminate the need for women to suppress feelings that conflict with the ideals of the polygamy life, and aid in avoiding depression resulting from the build-up of concealed feelings.

Polygamy is the case in which a man or a woman has multiple spouses. One branch of polygamy is termed “polygyny”, which is when “one man is married to several wives” (Zeitzen 3). In polygyny, women have become incredibly subservient because they believe being the best sister wife would mean coming closer God. This means they will obey their husbands and the prophet without question. Some of these Mormon fundamentalists reside in a tucked away community know as Bountiful, British Columbia. The women in Bountiful are being subjected to the confinements and abuse induced by their religious cult. “Some of Bountiful’s men are in there forties and fifties when they marry girls as young as fourteen” (Bramham 12). This is pertinent in showing For example; women “are programmed by their prophets to look happy... [and] are taught from birth to “keep sweet”.” (Bramham 17) This critical statement defends the idea of coercing “code[s] for blind obedience” (Bramham 195).

In the documentary “Leaving Bountiful”, Debbie Palmer is forced to standby while her child is taken away from her. This cruel obedience test, performed by her husband, was used to systematically strip away her moth...

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...ernational Journal Of Social Psychiatry 52.1 (2006): 5-17. PsycINFO. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.

Bramham, Daphne. The Secret Lives of Saints: Child Brides and Lost Boys in Canada`s Polygamous Sect, Toronto: Random House Canada, 2008. Print.

Brooks, Thom. “The Problem of Polygamy.” Philosophical Topics 37.2 (2009): 109-22. Web.

Hassouneh-Phillips, Dena. "Polygamy And Wife Abuse: A Qualitative Study Of Muslim Women In America." Health Care For Women International 22.8 (2001): 735-748. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.

Simon, Robin W., and Kathryn Lively. "Sex, Anger And Depression." Social Forces 88.4 (2010): 1543-1568. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.

Slinger, Helen, dir. Leaving Bountiful. Narr. Ann Mortifee. Bountiful Films, 2002. Documentary.

Zeitzen, M. Koktvedgaard. Polygamy: A Cross-Cultured Analysis, 2008. New York: Berg, 2008. Print.

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