SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - About 100 polygamists marched here Saturday, calling on the state to rescind its ban on plural marriages and likening criminal prosecution of polygamy to ethnic cleansing.
The issue rose to the skyline in Utah last month when Tom Green, a man who lives in the West Desert with five wives and 26 children, was convicted of bigamy and failure to pay child support.
Now polygamy supporters worry that more prosecutions will follow.
Utah included a ban on polygamy in its 1896 constitution - something the U.S. government required as a condition of statehood. The Mormon church condoned multiple wives until 1890.
Today, polygamists are excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But many modern-day polygamists claim to be following original Mormon doctrine.
An estimated 30,000 polygamists live throughout the West.
Juab County Attorney David Leavitt said repeatedly during Green's trial that he only found out about Green's multiple wives after the family appeared on national television.
Green's wife Hannah told KUTV Saturday that she is willing to stand up for her family's lifestyle, even if it means going to jail.
Green himself did not attend the rally. KUTV reports that Green is undergoing a psychological examination that was required as part of a pre-sentence investigation.
Green is scheduled to be sentenced June 27. He was convicted of bigamy - being married to one woman while cohabitating with another - because the state has no specific statute addressing polygamy.
Polygamy supporter Mary Batchelor said polygamists are no different than any other religious minority. She likened prosecuting polygamy to ethnic cleansing.