Where is polyandry legal in us

Even in a polarized era, the survey reveals deep divisions in both partisan coalitions. Pew Research Center now uses as the last birth year for Millennials in our work. President Michael Dimock explains why. The vast majority of U. Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research.

Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Newsletters Donate My Account. Research Topics. Share this link:. Stephanie Kramer is a senior researcher focusing on religion at Pew Research Center. Key findings: How living arrangements vary by religious affiliation around the world. In countries where marriage is legally monogamous, de facto polygamy is allowed if adultery is not illegal.

In every country in North America and South America , polygamy is illegal, and practice is criminalized. In the United States, polygamy is illegal in all 50 states; however, in February , the Utah House and Senate reduced punishment for polygamy to the status of a traffic ticket.

All of Europe and Oceania , except for the Solomon Islands , do not recognize polygamist marriages. In Australia , polygamous marriage is outlawed, but polygamous relationships are common within some indigenous Australian communities.

Balinese Hinduism allows for polygamy, which has been practiced for centuries by the Balinese and Papuans. Protests to outlaw polygamy and polygamous marriages occurred in in Indonesia, but no action has happened. In India , Malaysia , the Philippines , and Singapore , the governments only recognize polygamous marriages for Muslims. They have specific legislation for polygamous marriage that only includes Muslims.

But a federal appeals court reversed the ruling and the US supreme court declined to hear the case. This article is more than 1 year old. Under current Utah law, polygamy is classified as a third-degree felony.

The woman who escaped a polygamous cult — and turned its HQ into a refuge. Read more. But a growing number of immigrants may honestly answer "no" to this question, and still find their application denied on the grounds that they are practicing polygamy.

For that group of people in particular, it is extremely important to understand both terms and how they are interpreted by USCIS. Bigamy is the crime of being intentionally married to more than one spouse at a time.

To commit bigamy in the U. Intentional bigamy is a crime; it virtually always involves lies and deception. Most intentional bigamists have lied to one or both of their spouses, hiding the fact that they are married to two or more people at the same time. Intentional bigamy, even if you have not been convicted of the crime of bigamy, will bar you from having the good moral character required to naturalize. And even unintentional bigamy can block you from becoming a U.

USCIS defines polygamy as "the custom of having more than one spouse at the same time. It describes situations where all the parties to all the legal marriages are fully aware of all the marital relationships and deliberately chose to practice polygamy for cultural or religious reasons.

Under the regulations, polygamy is a problem if have have practiced it in the past or are currently practicing it. See 8 CFR You cannot be considered a practicing polygamist unless you belong to a culture or religion that recognizes the custom of polygamy; but in that case, if USCIS becomes suspicious, it can look at all your sexual and household relationships.

As USCIS defines polygamy, it doesn't matter whether or not you are legally married to the people who share your polygamous relationships. Nor does it matter whether you are the spouse with multiple partners, or whether you are merely one of the partners. For example, a refugee who was practicing polygamy before he immigrated will be required by U.

Years later, after becoming a U. This is the case because all three come from a country where polygamy is practiced. Therefore, if the man lives with both women at the same time, whether the women live separately or apart, their joint behavior meets the USCIS definition of polygamy.

This will be the case even though there is no legal marriage between the couple, and even though she is living in the U.