A Cruel Arithmetic

Inside the Case Against Polygamy

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law, Child Advocacy, Family Law, Biography & Memoir, Reference
Cover of the book A Cruel Arithmetic by Craig Jones, Irwin Law
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Craig Jones ISBN: 9781552213186
Publisher: Irwin Law Publication: September 11, 2012
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Craig Jones
ISBN: 9781552213186
Publisher: Irwin Law
Publication: September 11, 2012
Imprint:
Language: English
For thirty years, lawyers, pundits, professors, and politicians had said that section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canadathe criminal prohibition of polygamywas unconstitutional, a Victorian anachronism that, in a modern rights-based democracy, deserved to be swept aside in the name of individual liberty and religious freedom. Polygamy per se, it was argued, was harmless.

Beginning in 2009 in Vancouver, a small team of lawyers from the federal and provincial governments, along with a handful of allied public-interest groups, set out to prove the experts wrong and to show that there were devastating harms that inevitably flowed from polygamys cruel arithmetic: harms to women and children, to society at large, and even to the very foundation of democracy itself. The case against polygamy would proceed for almost two years, and was laid out through forty-four days of trial and more than 100 witnesses. The evidence ranged from the testimony of pre-eminent academics to stark and disturbing confessions of polygamists testifying under the shield of anonymity. The eventual 357-page decision of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, based on (in his words) the most comprehensive judicial record on the subject ever produced, defied all expectations and set the world of constitutional law back on its heels.

This is a remarkable insiders story of a unique piece of litigation: the first trial-court constitutional reference in Canadian history. Craig Jones, lead counsel for the Attorney General of British Columbia, describes the argument he and his colleagues developed against polygamy, drawing from fields as diverse as anthropology, history, economics, and evolutionary psychology. Yet it was ultimately the testimony of real people that showed how the theoretical harms of polygamys cruel arithmetic played out upon its victims.

A Cruel Arithmetic describes how the authors own views evolved from scepticism to a committed belief in the campaign against polygamy. This book is also an invitation to Canadians across political, philosophical, and religious spectrums to exercise their curiousity, approach the issue with an open mind, and follow along as the evidence converges to its powerful and surprising conclusion.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
For thirty years, lawyers, pundits, professors, and politicians had said that section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canadathe criminal prohibition of polygamywas unconstitutional, a Victorian anachronism that, in a modern rights-based democracy, deserved to be swept aside in the name of individual liberty and religious freedom. Polygamy per se, it was argued, was harmless.

Beginning in 2009 in Vancouver, a small team of lawyers from the federal and provincial governments, along with a handful of allied public-interest groups, set out to prove the experts wrong and to show that there were devastating harms that inevitably flowed from polygamys cruel arithmetic: harms to women and children, to society at large, and even to the very foundation of democracy itself. The case against polygamy would proceed for almost two years, and was laid out through forty-four days of trial and more than 100 witnesses. The evidence ranged from the testimony of pre-eminent academics to stark and disturbing confessions of polygamists testifying under the shield of anonymity. The eventual 357-page decision of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, based on (in his words) the most comprehensive judicial record on the subject ever produced, defied all expectations and set the world of constitutional law back on its heels.

This is a remarkable insiders story of a unique piece of litigation: the first trial-court constitutional reference in Canadian history. Craig Jones, lead counsel for the Attorney General of British Columbia, describes the argument he and his colleagues developed against polygamy, drawing from fields as diverse as anthropology, history, economics, and evolutionary psychology. Yet it was ultimately the testimony of real people that showed how the theoretical harms of polygamys cruel arithmetic played out upon its victims.

A Cruel Arithmetic describes how the authors own views evolved from scepticism to a committed belief in the campaign against polygamy. This book is also an invitation to Canadians across political, philosophical, and religious spectrums to exercise their curiousity, approach the issue with an open mind, and follow along as the evidence converges to its powerful and surprising conclusion.

More books from Reference

Cover of the book In Excellent Health by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Interpreter-mediated Police Interviews by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Spurensicherung - Vom Andenken und dem anonymen Rest by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Facebook Marketing Mistakes by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Art and Authority by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Faire bouger l'Eglise catholique by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Managing Community Health Services by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Aerosol Inhalation: Recent Research Frontiers by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Massey Ferguson Tractors by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia [Christmas Summary Classics] by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Right to Be Literate, The by Craig Jones
Cover of the book The American Jesuits by Craig Jones
Cover of the book The Bunny Lover's Complete Guide To House Rabbits by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Big-Bore Revolvers by Craig Jones
Cover of the book Mergers and Acquisitions 216 Success Secrets - 216 Most Asked Questions On Mergers and Acquisitions - What You Need To Know by Craig Jones
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy