WASHINGTON (DC)
Voice from the Desert
Received via email from Marci Hamilton, 7.23.2008.
Note that the following is an advance copy of Professor Hamilton’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow, 7.24.2008.
It is published here with Professor Hamilton’s permission.
...
Testimony Before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary
Hearing on Crimes Associated with Polygamy: The Need for a Coordinated State and Federal Response
Thursday, July 24, 2008 10:00 a.m.
Marci A. Hamilton
Thank you for permitting me to submit written testimony regarding the serious problems created by the criminal activity of polygamous groups. I hold the Paul R. Verkuil Chair in Public Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University. My primary area of expertise involves the constitutional doctrines involving religious groups and individuals who violate the law and, in particular, child abuse and neglect within religious organizations. I have served as the constitutional law litigator for numerous victims of clergy abuse within numerous organizations. ...
My testimony will focus on the child abuse and neglect crimes that arise out of polygamous communities and suggest legislative solutions to these serious problems. As is well known, religious polygamous communities have exhibited a disregard for the laws of marriage, child sex abuse, statutory rape, and criminal child neglect.
The problems for children in these groups arise directly from the desired proportion of men to women in the groups. At the base line, girls and boys are usually born in about equal proportions. In order to have as many women to choose from as possible, girls are married to men as soon as they are of childbearing age and forced to have as many children as possible. To keep the number of men low vis-à-vis the women, select boys are discarded.
No civilized society can permit such practices – once known – to continue.
I applaud Senator Reid for introducing a bill to institute a federal task force to study abuse, extortion, embezzlement, and other illegal activities associated with polygamous groups. I strongly recommend that the Committee charge the Task Force with consideration of the following proposals.