07-02-2013, 04:23 PM
Sure there are plenty of under 18's that are emotionally, and intellectually ready. And they have a means by which they can have the rights that would be afforded to them based on their maturity. Those under 18, can get parental approval, and in cases where that isn't happening, there is always the process of legal emancipation.
My cousin married her husband of 15 years when she was 17. She was granted emancipation from her parents, and treated as a legal adult.
It's a line in the sand that has to be drawn. 18 is the legal age of adulthood. There will always be people who aren't ready for the line in the sand. Adulthood, Driving, Drinking, etc... You will always find people below the line in the sand that would be fine with it, and those above the line who are still not ready for it.
The alternative is to just get the government to allow marriage to be between consenting adults. We shouldn't draw the line at polygamy. If they want it, they want it. It's not my life. It's theirs. I prefer to be monogamous. My choice of Monogamy is no more "Right" than my parent's choice to be Evangelical Christians, or FiT's Choice to be a Communist, or my co-worker to be Muslim.
What's good for me, isn't necessarily good for you. But, as long as it isn't interfering the life of someone else in a negative way, It shouldn't be a problem. And for the record, thinking that something is "icky" doesn't qualify as affecting someone in a negative way. Personally, I think that Polygamy is pretty stupid. I think it leads to too many psychological issues and a strained family dynamic. I would NEVER want to be in that type of environment.
But, if Joe, Sally, John, and Betty want to have some weird polygamous marriage where they are all married to each other, well... That's not my business. If they all agree, I don't care.
Just like, I don't have a problem with people who want to have a strict religious belief system. That's their choice. They want that. As long as they aren't trying to govern the lives of others through it, have at it.
My cousin married her husband of 15 years when she was 17. She was granted emancipation from her parents, and treated as a legal adult.
It's a line in the sand that has to be drawn. 18 is the legal age of adulthood. There will always be people who aren't ready for the line in the sand. Adulthood, Driving, Drinking, etc... You will always find people below the line in the sand that would be fine with it, and those above the line who are still not ready for it.
The alternative is to just get the government to allow marriage to be between consenting adults. We shouldn't draw the line at polygamy. If they want it, they want it. It's not my life. It's theirs. I prefer to be monogamous. My choice of Monogamy is no more "Right" than my parent's choice to be Evangelical Christians, or FiT's Choice to be a Communist, or my co-worker to be Muslim.
What's good for me, isn't necessarily good for you. But, as long as it isn't interfering the life of someone else in a negative way, It shouldn't be a problem. And for the record, thinking that something is "icky" doesn't qualify as affecting someone in a negative way. Personally, I think that Polygamy is pretty stupid. I think it leads to too many psychological issues and a strained family dynamic. I would NEVER want to be in that type of environment.
But, if Joe, Sally, John, and Betty want to have some weird polygamous marriage where they are all married to each other, well... That's not my business. If they all agree, I don't care.
Just like, I don't have a problem with people who want to have a strict religious belief system. That's their choice. They want that. As long as they aren't trying to govern the lives of others through it, have at it.
nobody ever slaughtered an entire school with a smart phone and a twitter account – they have, however, toppled governments. - Jim Wright