Today in the New York Times, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley makes a strong argument for decriminalizing polygamy, using the Supreme Court’s 2003 Lawrence decision ruling state sodomy laws unconstitutional as a legal precedent. Asserting that the right to privacy should be enjoyed by all consenting adults, Turley demolishes commonplace objections to polygamy, including a rhetorical maneuver he calls "the parade of horribles" wherein polygamy opponents (like gay rights opponents) argue that decriminalizing plural marriage will lead somehow to wider acceptance for "adult incest," "prostitution," "fornication," and "bestiality."
Turley, who represents Sister Wives reality television stars Kody Brown and his four wives, last week filed a legal challenge to the state of Utah's anti-cohabitation statutes.