Polygamy Should Be Legalized In All Fifty United States.

I will be debating against the resolution: Polygamy Should Be Legalized In All Fifty United States. My opponent must show that the current law banning polygamy should be changed in all 50 states. I can win this debate one of two ways. I can simply refute his arguments, or I can demonstrate that at least one state should continue to ban polygamy. I will do both. First I will respond to pro's points and then I will also argue the affirmative conter-case that Nevada should not legalize polygamy. To keep things simple, I will number pro's points P1, P2, etc. and mine C1, C2, etc. RebuttalMy opponent bases his argument on two points. As we will see below, one of these points is completely irrelevant to the resolution as written. Consequently my opponent is in the precarious position of having advanced a single argument in favor of the resolution. P1. It should never have been made illegal in the first place. Let me first note the use of the conditional progressive "should be" in the resolution[1]. This advocates for a change of policy, thus my opponent has the burden of proof to argue that the current policy should be changed It is not simply enough to argue that the current policy was enacted for the wrong reasons (as my opponent does here). Rather, he must argue that a change in the policy as we find it now would be beneficial. The reasons for enacting the ban in the first place are irrelvant. What matters is what the reasons for changing the current policy are. On this point, my opponent has given none. P2. A registration of polygamous marriages would make them saferMy opponent's sole argument for changing the law nation wide is that polygamous relationships need to be made safer by "registering" them through marriage. Let's look at some of the assumptions of this argument. First, he assumes that polygamous marriages are more dangerous than conventional ones -- a fact that councils against having the government validate them. He assumes there would be some aspect of registration that would make these relationships safer. His concern for the 50 thousand people in polygamous relationships completely ignores the 12.8 million (yes 250 times more) people living together in unmarried relationships[2]. My opponent then discusses how we have laws to "protect" husbands and wives from each other. The truth is, our laws already make it a crime to abuse someone regardless of the relationship. Many domestic violence laws apply to people living together even if they aren't married[3]. If a polygamous relationship is more likely to be abusive, as my opponent concedes, then that's all the more reason it shouldn't be given governmental endorsement through marriage. Nevada should not legalize polygamyC1. Polygamy reduces the number of householdsNevada is suffering from a sever crash in the real estate market. It was one of the hardest hit during the housing market collapse[4]. Part of the reason housing prices are so low is because there is an over supply[5]. To fix this we want more households not fewer. Allowing polygamous marriages allow more than two adults into a household thereby decreasing the total number of households. Many construction workers are out of jobs because there is no need to build more homes. Legalizing polygamous marriage would be disastrous for the economic recovery of Nevada. C2. Polygamy reduces the need for prostitutionProstitution is legal in most counties in Nevada and is a major segment of the economy[6]. In a typical year legal brothels generate around $400 million in economic activity for the state[7]. One reason people use prostitutes is that they need more variety in their marriages but don't want to date because this might cause emotional stresses in the relationship. In a polygamous marriage there already is that variety. Legalizing polygamous marriage in Nevada would threaten a huge chunk of state tax revenue. For these reasons, Nevada should not legalize polygamous marriage. References[1] . http://www.ego4u.com...[2] . http://www.usatoday.com...[3] . http://www.bookrags.com...[4] . http://www.ncsha.org...[5] . http://www.lasvegassun.com...[6] . http://www.lasvegassun.com...[7] . http://www.thedailybeast.com...