The following commentary by Professor Lorraine Weinrib was published in the Toronto Star, January 13, 2009.
The attorney general of British Columbia has announced criminal prosecutions against two leaders of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for breach of the Criminal Code prohibition against polygamy. The decision to prosecute follows years of deliberation on the appropriate response to harms attributed to polygamy as practised within the community in Bountiful, B.C.
Examination of some of the concerns raised in the media over the past week may provide some clarity as the prosecution proceeds.