Do you know of anyone that has been arrested and convicted of bigamy?

Well, it’s fraudulent when it applies to things such as social security, pension and insurance benefits, to name a few.

Besides, I thought everyone knew what the automatic penalty for bigamy was, worldwide:
two mothers-in-law.

@CyanoticWasp I didn’t even think of the two mother in law strikes. Why would they need to make it a crime. That punishment is bad enough.

The way the system is set up currently, it’s properly a criminal matter. As @CyanoticWasp mentions, the state has a profound interest in knowing who the appropriate beneficiaries of certain state benefits are. Should it make a mistake based on a bigamists fraudulent behavior, it stands to be subject to lawsuits to recover lost property rights.

However, I think that polygamy laws are moral legislation that privilege a family structure that is both relatively new (historically) as well as anachronistic, ironically. I do not support polygamous relationships that are based on a historical oppression of women – but polygamy from a legal standpoint is neutral, harms no one, tends to potentially build family units where there may be multiple incomes and benefit sharing so that prosperity may be increased, and any harm is related to separate issues of women’s rights, children’s rights, etc., which can be properly handled outside of banning the practice.

Bigamy is a crime which can cause major heartache for its victims, usually women who have been duped into marrying a smooth talking conman.