“Were the judge to extend his compassion for women further, we would have to look at Catholic and other religious teachings that have similar outcomes. Statistically, women who are married to one man are likelier to have more children and die in childbirth than women who aren't married at all, so we might as well conclude that marriage itself damages women's health. . . .
“Monogamy isn't threatened by a small sect in British Columbia, and enshrining it won't alter the members' religious beliefs. But this ruling should concern all those perfectly nice Canadians for whom monogamy is no more an institution than is the missionary position.”
—Tabatha Southey in her Tart weekly column for The Globe and Mail, November 26th, 2011.
Southey takes apart the decision of the Chief Justice of the B.C. Supreme Court, Robert Bauman, to uphold the constitutionality of Canada’s anti-polygamy laws. On the face of it, his judgement was welcome news to right-thinking Canadians everywhere. It set aside something nasty we don’t want to think about. Unfortunately, Southey’s column leaves you laughing at the judge—and yourself.
Mainstream journalism in Canada is safe. The Globe and Mail will remain the morning must-read by Canadian decision-makers, critics, cranks, and bloggers. It should continue to prosper alongside the social media. But, it could be more interesting.
Mainstream journalism in Canada is safe. The Globe and Mail will remain the morning must-read by Canadian decision-makers, critics, cranks, and bloggers. It should continue to prosper alongside the social media. But, it could be more interesting.
Moving Tabatha Southey and her column to the op-ed page and out of weekend recreation would be a significant improvement. More of her gems would make the paper less reliable politically, more demanding intellectually, and more fun for its readers.
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