In the beginning, there were 26 women whose ages were disputed. Texas Child Protective Services said they were minors; the women said they were adults.

The state took the 26 women whose ages were disputed, added them to five teenagers it had identified and came up with a total of 31 girls ages 14 t 17 who were pregnant or mothers.

Well, we're down to 24.

In the past two weeks, CPS has agreed that two women it deemed teenagers are actually adults.

Pamela Jeffs Jessop was one of them. She gave birth to her second child, a son, on April 29. The state immediately claimed custody of him.

In the court filing, the state identified Pamela and listed her approximate age as ''15 or 16 years of age.''

It identified her husband as Jackson Jessop, age 22.

Now, here is one thing interesting about that.

Pamela was one of the 20 women identified by CPS investigator Angie Voss during the April 17-18 hearing has having been a minor when she gave birth to her first child.

Pamela is listed on a chart Voss prepared and introduced as evidence during the hearing before Judge Barbara Walther. It shows her date of birth as 12/9/1989, which Voss used to calculate that Pamela was 16 when she gave birth to her first son on Aug. 1, 2006.

Which also means that Texas CPS already knew, before it classified her as a disputed minor and petitioned for custody of her child, that Pamela is 18.

A bishop's record, dated March 28, 2007, and confiscated by the state shows Pamela as then being 17 -- also making her an adult by the time of the raid.

Nevertheless, Texas included Pamela in its group of 26 pregnant and/or mothering minors.

Hmmm. Interesting. Did the state keep Pamela solely to get jurisdiction over her newborn son?

And is that why the state kept Louisa Jessop and classified her as a disputed minor? She gave birth on Monday. On Thursday, the state acknowledged she is 22. An adult.

But Voss listed Louisa on her ''20 minors'' chart, too.

In fact, Voss listed Louisa twice on the chart.

In one entry, Louisa is listed as having a birth date of April 4, 1986; in the other entry her birth date is shown as either April 3 or April 4, 1986.

A copy of Louisa's birth certificate, issued by the state of Utah, shows her birth date is April 3, 1986.

Either way, using the state's chart or the birth certificate, the math comes out the same. She is 22.

In one entry on the chart, Louisa is listed as having four children. In the other, she is shown as having five children.

Louisa actually has three children, including the newborn. The oldest is four, born when she was 18. The other child is 2.

But the state's chart shows her as being the mother of a girl named ''Mattie'' who was born on Sept. 24, 2000.

One entry shows Louisa has having been 14 when she gave birth and 13 when she conceived Mattie; the other shows her as having been 15 at the child's birth and 14 when she conceived.

The state used that miscalculation to its full advantage to talk about girls as young as 13 getting pregnant.

Here is a press release sent out today by Matt Smith, Mohave County attorney. One of these cases involves Elissa Wall and her marriage to Allen Steed:

Today there was a hearing on the Defense's Motion to Dismiss two counts of incest of each of the indictments, and motion for Subpoena Duces Tecum.

The defense moved to dismiss the two incest counts on the grounds that Arizona's statutes do not apply to the facts in the case.

The defense's Motion for Subpoena Duces Tecum seeks medical records.

Judge Conn heard argument from counsel and has taken the matters under advisement. Judge Conn will rule by minute order and will also reset the Omnibus Hearing.

A subsequent press release will be sent out when the court's rulings have been rendered.

Matthew J. Smith
Mohave County Attorney

As someone noted on the other post, Elissa Wall will be on Oprah today to talk about her book ''Stolen Innocence.'' The show followed Elissa to Texas, where she met with Texas Rangers and Child Protective Services after they raided the YFZ Ranch. Expect to see some of that footage on the show.

She has apparently filmed a segment about her life with 20/20, too, and other national media interviews are on tap. You will be hearing a lot about Elissa in coming days.

The book closely tracks what we learned about Elissa during the Warren Jeffs' trial. She was the key witness in Utah's case against Jeffs, who conducted Wall's 2001 marriage to Allen Steed. She was 14, Steed was 19. They are related through a common grandfather.

Elissa vehemently disliked Allen and objected to marrying her cousin. For those unfamiliar with the string of events that led to the marriage and its aftermath, the book will be riveting reading.

Elissa says she was motivated to be the witness against Jeffs to help other girls avoid similar marriages, in particular her younger sisters. She plans to put some proceeds from the book into the MJ Fund -- named after the pseudonym she used in civil lawsuit pending against Jeffs and the FLDS church -- to help them leave the sect.

Here are some highlights from the book, with more to follow:

1. By 2002, five of Elissa's siblings had left the sect, including Rebecca Musser. Elissa refers to Rebecca as ''Kassandra'' in the book. Elissa uses pseudonyms for most FLDS members and her own family, both those in and out of the sect.

The exception: Elissa provides real names for her mother Sharon Steed and two sisters, Ally and Sherrie, who are still in the FLDS.

2. Two years after her 2001 marriage to Allen, Elissa was working as an aide for a disabled infant, as a dressmaker and as a sales associate for Saladmaster. She also began working at the Mark Twain restaurant in Colorado City.

I ate there a time or two before it closed and thought the food was excellent.

3. Here is what Elissa says Warren Jeffs told the couple in June 2003, when her husband asked for a meeting with the prophet to discuss their marital troubles. Jeffs asked if they had tried to have children. Elissa had had several miscarriages by then, which she initially hid from her husband and even from her mother.

Jeffs, apparently, is unaware of this. He tells the couple that having children might help them get their marriage on track. He says: ''Because when you have children, your responsibility changes. You are not selfish. It's not about you. It's about children and raising them up to be good, obedient, faithful priesthood children. Sometimes, having children changes everything. And it makes people fall in love because they have another life on earth together. . . . You need to do this so that you can grow in love and have a life together.''

4. In her effort to avoid her husband, Elissa begins hanging out with other FLDS teens after work in ''the Sticks,'' where they ''build a fire, turn on music, drink beer and act like typical teenagers.'' She did this, Elissa writes, even though she knew she risked a ''severe reprimand'' if caught.

Her favorite bands were Bon Jovi and the Backstreet Boys. She and a friend would sneak down to St. George to watch movies -- ''Pirates of the Caribbeean'' was a favorite -- and buy CDs.

Allen was oblivious to all this, she said.

5. Elissa describes several instances where her husband slapped or hit her, including once when she was about two months pregnant. She describes Allen as ''odd'' and says that his testimony during the Jeffs' trial was full of ''misinterpretations and at best half-truths.''

His testimony was ''shaky and hard to believe.''

And this: ''His smile and the weird look in his eyes began to make me gag.''

Elissa says that when Allen told the jury that they referred to sexual intercourse as ''in and out'' she ''swore never to eat at an In-N-Out Burger again.''

And this: ''Even if the words he spoke had been believable, his behavior -- his mumbling, his standing, his nervousness -- seemed off-putting enough to alienate even the most objective juror.''

Allen was charged with rape after testifying in Jeffs' trial and is awaiting trial. Allen's attorney believes the book and the publicity tour now under way will make it impossible for his client to get a fair trial in Utah.

6. Elissa flew to Oregon during the summer of 2003, where her sister Rebecca and several other siblings who had left the faith talk to her about leaving the sect.

7. Elissa met Lamont Barlow, who would become her ticket to love and out of the sect, in November 2003. She had fled her home after a fight with Allen and then ended up with a flat tire in the desert. Lamont found her there and helped fix the flat.

8. They met again on the slopes of Brian Head during a ski outing. He begins frequenting the Mark Twain and their friendship grows.

9. Lamont got hooked on methamphetamines during the mid-1990s. The drug was being smuggled into the community, Elissa says.

That is interesting. I have heard little bits and pieces about this drug problem in the community; it is surprising because it doesn't fit the isolated, naive portrait painted of the FLDS teens.

10. In February 2004, Elissa mets some friends in Las Vegas. Lamont comes along though things stay chaste, according to Elissa. Months later, they are in love and by July she is pregnant with his child. She sees avoids Allen as much as possible.

11. It is not until October of 2004 that Allen figures out something is going on and shows up at at a birthday party for Lamont looking for his wife.

12. A month later, she is called to a meeting with FLDS officials and told the marriage is over and she is to return to her father's home. She calls Lamont and leaves the community for good.

13. In February 2005, Elissa gives birth to a son fathered by Lamont. Months later, her sister Rebecca and a brother begin pressuring her to speak to law enforcement about her marriage to Allen. Jethro Barlow, Lamont's uncle and one of a number of men exiled from the faith by Jeffs, also pushes her to speak to investigators.

Elissa writes: ''They were working hard to remove Warren from power, and I was viewed as someone who could help them.''

14. She says she was turned off by the heavy-handed approach taken by an unnamed Mohave County investigator.

The only investigator working the case for the county was Gary Engles.

15. By May 2005, Salt Lake Attorney Roger Hoole had contacted Lamont, too, to encourage Elissa to come forward as a witness in a criminal case against Warren Jeffs.

One side note: Lamont's aunt is Lennie Fischer, the wife of Dan Fischer, an ex-FLDS member and backer of the Diversity Foundation. The foundation helps teens leaving the sect. Dan Fischer hired Hoole to represent several teens who sued the FLDS church.

Of Hoole, Elissa writes: ''They needed a witness to file criminal charges against Warren, and that, they hoped, was where I would come in.''

16. The pseudonym ''Jane Doe IV'' was used in the criminal case to ''throw off the priesthood'' and lead them to believe a number of victims were coming forward against Warren Jeffs.

17. Elissa and Lamont married shortly before the birth of their second child. Washington County prosecutor Brock Belnap helped Lamont picked out her wedding ring. He attended the ceremony, as did his deputy Jerry Jaeger.

18. In January 2007, Warren Jeffs broke down during a jailhouse visit with his brother and claimed he was not a real prophet. Elissa and her husband watched the videotaped conversation and wanted it ''revealed'' to the FLDS. A Utah judge ruled it was too inflammatory to be used during Jeffs' September trial.

The jailhouse conversations were made public shortly after Jeffs was sentenced. His attorneys descredited the pronouncements, saying they were due to a breakdown caused by fasting and months of incarceration.

During tours of the YFZ Ranch, portraits of Jeffs were everywhere, signaling that he still is regarded as the sect's prophet.

19. Woohee, defense attorney Tara Isaacson really got on Elissa's nerves. Tara cross-examined Elissa during the trial.

Elissa writes: ''Her demeanor was cold and her exterior impeccable. She never had a strand of hair out of place, and her eyes reminded me of a villain from an old Superman movie who could shoot deadly laser beams at her enemies with a simple glance.''

20. Elissa says she was surprised that the defense used Jennie Pipkin ''as a tool'' in Jeffs' defense.

Well, fair is fair. See 13 and 15 above.

I have just picked up a copy of Elissa Wall's new book, ''Stolen Innocence,'' which is out today.

I am probably like you: I skimmed the photographs first. And then I looked at the acknowledgments. She thanks her parents, siblings, many friends and, of course, Roger Hoole, her attorney.

And then I noticed this: ''To Sheriff David Doran of Schleicher County for his untiring efforts to understand the FLDS people. To Capt. Barry Caver, Sgt. L. Brooks Long, and all the Texas Rangers for taking time to listen and learn about the FLDS.''

Brooks Long is the ranger who wrote the warrants used in the April 3 raid on the YFZ Ranch. Long was the one who described seeing beds in the temple at the ranch, one of which appeared to have disturbed linens and to have a ''strand of hair believed to have come from the head of a female.''

You know where it went from there. . . .

Families will make case for vaccine link to autism

By KEVIN FREKING
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Institute of Medicine said in 2004 there was no credible evidence to show that vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal led to autism in children. But thousands of families have a different take based on personal experience.

Some of them are going to court Monday as attorneys will attempt to show that the mercury-based preservative triggers symptoms of autism.

Two 10-year-old boys from Portland, Ore., will serve as test cases to determine whether many of the children and their families should be compensated. Attorneys for the boys will attempt to show the boys were happy, healthy and developing normally - but, after being exposed to vaccines with thimerosal, they began to regress.

Thimerosal has been removed in recent years from standard childhood vaccines, except flu vaccines that are not packaged in single-doses. The CDC says single-dose flu shots currently are available only in limited quantities. In 2004, a committee with the Institute of Medicine concluded there was no credible evidence that vaccines containing thimerosal caused autism.

Overall, nearly 4,900 families have filed claims with the U.S. Court of Claims alleging that vaccines caused autism and other neurological problems in their children. Lawyers for the families are presenting three different theories of how vaccines caused autism.

The Office of Special Masters of the claims court has instructed the plaintiffs to designate three test cases for each of the three theories - nine cases in all - and has assigned three special masters to handle the cases. Three cases in the first category were heard last year, but no decisions have been reached.

The two cases beginning Monday are among the three that focus on the second theory of causation: that thimerosal-containing vaccines alone cause autism. The plaintiff in the third case originally scheduled for hearing this month has withdrawn and lawyers and court officials are working to agree on substitute case.

The suit being heard Monday is against the Department of Health and Human Services, and the plaintiffs are asking for unspecified compensation for the injuries suffered. Damages supposedly would cover lost income after the person turns 18 and up to $250,000 for pain and suffering.

Hearings in the test cases for the third theory of causation are scheduled in mid-September.

Lawyers for the petitioning families in the cases being heard this month say they will present evidence that injections with thimerosal deposit a form of mercury in the brain. That mercury excites certain brain cells that stay chronically activated trying to get rid of the intrusion.

"In some kids, there's enough of it that it sets off this chronic neuroinflammatory pattern that can lead to regressive autism," said attorney Mike Williams.

In the end, the families' attorneys hope to convince the special master hearing their case that thimerosal belongs on the list of causes for the inflammation that leads to regressive autism.

To win, the attorneys for the two boys, William Mead and Jordan King, will have to show that it's more likely than not that the vaccine actually caused the injury.

Many members of the medical community are skeptical of the families' claims. They worry that the claims about the dangers of vaccines could cause some people to forgo vaccines that prevent illness.

"I think that what's so endearing to me about the anti-vaccine people, is they're perfectly willing to go from one hypothesis to the next without a backward glance," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. Dr. Andrew Gerber, a psychiatrist, said that medical experts don't have a comprehensive understanding of what causes autism, but they do know there is a strong hereditary component.

Toxins from the environment could play a role, but currently, data does not support that they do, Gerber said.

Arguments are scheduled to go on throughout the month. A final decision could take several more months.

The families or the federal government can also appeal the decision of the special master to the Court of Federal Claims or to a federal appeals court.

The court Web site says more than 12,500 claims have been filed since creation of the program in 1987, including more than 5,300 autism cases, and more than $1.7 billion has been paid in claims. It says there is now more than $2.7 billion in a trust fund supported by an excise tax on each dose of vaccine covered by the program.

----

On the Net:

Background on thimerosal trial: http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/node/4428

I was having trouble getting the links to other cartoons to work when I posted them as comments, so I will try it this way. Ignore the comment links. Here are other cartoons on the 2008 YFZ Ranch Raid:

Cartoon No. 1: http://www.truthwillprevail.org/index.php?parentid=4&index=8

Cartoon No. 2: http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/52223/

Cartoon No. 3: http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/52448/

Cartoon No. 4: http://editorialcartoonists.com/cartoon/display.cfm/52321/

Joe Cannon, editor of the Deseret News, accused the FLDS of identity theft in an opinion piece that ran in his newspaper on Sunday.

The newspaper is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Here was how one editorial cartoonist saw the 1953 Short Creek Raid. I have one other historical cartoon to post and I will try to link to Tribune cartoonist Pat Bagley's take a few weeks ago. Has anyone seen editorial cartoons about the Texas raid in other newspapers? Send me a link!

The nation's largest newspaper ran an interesting opinion piece this morning, the second one so far critical of the raid on the YFZ Ranch in Texas. It says 51st District Judge Barbara Walther referred to the raid as a ''cattle call.'' That's the first time I have heard that.

As the legal ''parent'' of the 464 FLDS children now in state custody, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services wants them all immunized. Spokesman Patrick Crimmins told me that is standard procedure. The entire ''population'' appears to never had any inoculations, he said.

According to the FLDS, some children have had immunizations, some have not. Some parents feel strongly there are health hazards associated with immunizations and have opted not to get them for their children.

I believe many, if not, most states allow parents to opt out of immunizations for religious reasons. Any one know more about this?

Here is the immunization guideline Texas DFPS sent to group homes and shelters last week, along with a request that children all be inoculated. Crimmins said any child who objects will not be forced to get shots.



DSHS Immunization Recommendations for Individuals from El Dorado
AGE RANGE VACCINES RECOMMENDED* IN PRIORITY ORDER BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION
Birth through one year of age

DTaP
Hib
PCV7
Flu (6 months of age and older)
Rotavirus (must initiate prior to 4 months of age)
Hep B
IPV Pertussis and flu diseases are circulating in Texas. Younger children are at particular risk for serious Hib and pneumococcal (PCV7) disease.
Pertussis, Hib, pneumococcal, Rotavirus, and flu are highly contagious and individuals housed in shelters are at increased risk. Hep B risk is low and polio disease is not in this hemisphere. All but rotavirus and flu are required for day care.

1 year olds

DTaP
Hib
MMR
Varicella
PCV7
Flu
Hep A
Hep B
IPV
Pertussis, flu, and varicella diseases are circulating in Texas. Younger children are at particular risk for serious Hib and pneumococcal (PCV7) disease. Pertussis, Hib, measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal, and flu are highly contagious and individuals housed in shelters are at increased risk. Hep B risk is low and polio disease is not in this hemisphere. All but flu are required for day care.

2 and 3 year olds

DTaP
Hib
MMR
Varicella
PCV7
Flu
PPV23 (high-risk)
Meningococcal (high-risk)
Hep A
Hep B
IPV

Pertussis, flu, and varicella diseases are circulating in Texas. Younger children are at particular risk for Hib and pneumococcal (PCV7) diseases. Pertussis, Hib, measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal, flu, and hep A are highly contagious and individuals housed in shelters are at increased risk. Pneumococcal (PPV23) disease is particularly dangerous for anyone with a chronic health condition. Hep B risk is low and polio disease is not in this hemisphere. All but flu, PPV23, and meningococcal are required for day care.

4-6 years of age

DTaP
MMR
Varicella
Hib (4 only)
PCV7 (4only)
Flu
PPV23 (high-risk)
Meningococcal (high-risk)
Hep A
Hep B
IPV
Pertussis, flu, and varicella diseases are circulating in Texas. Hib disease is less concern at this age group compared to pertussis, measles, and varicella. Younger children are at particular risk for pneumococcal diseases. Pertussis, Hib, measles, mumps, rubella, pneumococcal, flu, and hep A are highly contagious and individuals housed in shelters are at increased risk.
Pneumococcal (PPV23) disease is particularly dangerous for anyone with a chronic health condition. Hep B risk is low and polio disease is not in this hemisphere. All but flu, PPV23, and meningococcal are required for day care. All but HIB, PCV7, flu, PPV23, meningococcal, and hep A are required for school. (except that hep A is required in 40 high incidence counties.)

7-10 years of age

MMR
Varicella
Td
Flu
Meningococcal (high-risk)
PPV23 (high-risk)
Hep A
Hep B
IPV
There is no pertussis vaccine for children 7 through 10 years of age and therefore Td is lower in priority than Tdap or DTaP. These children are best protected pertussis by vaccinating everyone around them, however, the disease is not as serious for older children. Measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, flu, and hep A are highly contagious and individuals housed in shelters are at increased risk. Pneumococcal (PPV23) disease is particularly dangerous for anyone with a chronic health condition.
Hep B risk is low and polio disease is not in this hemisphere. All but flu, PPV23, meningococcal, and hep A are required for school (except hep A in 40 counties).

11-18 years of age

Tdap
MMR
Meningococcal
HPV (females)
Hep B
Varicella
Flu
PPV23 (high-risk)
Hep A
IPV
A pertussis vaccine is available for individuals 11 and older. Vaccinating adolescents and adults against pertussis helps protect young infants. Pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal, varicella, flu, and hep A are highly contagious and individuals housed in shelters are at increased risk. Risk for HPV and hep B increases as sexual activity commences.
Pneumococcal disease is particularly dangerous for anyone with a chronic health condition. All but pertussis, flu, PPV23, meningococcal, HPV, flu, and hep A are required for school (hep A in 40 counties).

19 years of age and older

Tdap
MMR
Meningococcal
HPV (females through 26 years)
Hep B
Varicella
Flu
PPV23 (high-risk)
Hep A
Pertussis, flu, and varicella diseases are circulating in Texas. Vaccinating adolescents and adults against pertussis helps protect young infants. Pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal, varicella, flu, and hep A are highly contagious and individuals housed in shelters are at increased risk. Risk for HPV and hep B increases as sexual activity commences.
Pneumococcal (PPV23) disease is particularly dangerous for anyone with a chronic health condition.

*Children in foster care should receive all vaccines routinely recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

A group of senior students from a ''Mass Media and Society'' class at Colorado City Academy handed out pamphlets as the audience streamed into the Dixie Center for the fourth Town Hall Meeting on polygamy last night.

The private school is located in the fundamentalist Mormon community of Centennial Park, just south of the Utah/Arizona border.

William, 18, told me this was the class' last activity. Today the students graduate from high school.

Congrats!

The pamphlet was titled ''Speak Out: Every Voice Matters.'' William said the class focused on political issues, political campaigns and advertising.

It was about ''How you get your voice heard in the world,'' said Robert, 18.

Inside the four-page handout was this statement:

''We hoped silence would save us. But we learned that invisible people can expect invisible rights. We are one of many cultures in one America.''

More than any other group, the Centennial Park community has been most vocal in defending their religious beliefs and calling for decriminalization of polygamy. Events in Texas drew these students into the fray.

One section of the pamphlet was titled ''How do we achieve social progress: Civil disobedience'' and listed Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks as examples of people who’ve defended civil liberties.

Another section quoted Susan B. Anthony and addressed women’s rights, specifically when it comes to ''the right to make their own choice and build relationships of their preference. Oppression of women includes an idea that government can dictate their partners regardless of the woman’s choice.''

The last section, titled ''Do Words Matter?'' compared some media hysteria about polygamy to the McCarthy era, when rumors of communistic affiliations were used to destroy lives and reputations.

''It is reckless for public figures to call for action against lifestyles and cultures based on their belief system,'' the pamphlet said.

Over the past four years, large numbers of teenagers from Utah's fundamentalist Mormon communities -- the Davis County Cooperative Society, independents, Centennial Park and, to a lesser extent, Apostolic United Brethren -- have attended court hearings, public rallies and events like last night’s Town Hall Meeting.

Teens who have come out of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints also have participated in public forums, though their motive has been to advocate for a different kind of social change.

Either way, these young people are getting the best kind of education by participating in what Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard last night termed a ''movement.''

But it is a movement still in its nascent stage, which was illustrated by this: Neither young man I spoke with as a I entered the auditorium last night would give his last name.

The second panel consisted of service providers who serve the polygamous communities. They included Elaine Tyler of the Hope Organization; Gary Arnold of Arizona Department of Economic Security; Greg Smith of the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department; Michelle Benward of New Frontiers for Families; Shannon Price of the Diversity Foundation; and Donnalee Sarda of Defenders of Children.

Here is what one presenter said during the discussion and in a brief interview afterward:

Michelle Benward's organization operates a home for Lost Boys, the FLDS teens who have left or been ''urged out'' of the community.

She said that currently there are 14 teens in the home. Benward said that since July she has had direct contact with another 100 teens ages 14 to 24 from the FLDS community.

The No. 1 reason the teens give for leaving the community, Benward said, is that they did not want to live the religion. But others are kicked out of their homes for trivial reasons.

Among them: A boy whose parents left him in St. George with $5 in his pocket in December because he had gone to an unapproved movie.

Benward said many of the teens she is working with have been severely traumatized by events in Texas. She also said that most of the teens come from loving families whom they miss terribly.

She asked the media to avoid asking the teens about issues that are likely to retraumatize them, such as sexual abuse.

Benward is typical of the small organizations that have formed to support people leaving polygamy: She operates on caffeine and prayers. Her funds are meager and, without an infusion, she may have to shut down her effort to help the Lost Boys.

The panel discussions are underway here in St. George. The first panel is comprised of five women from different polygamous communities. The one group not represented: The FLDS.

The panelists explained their own cultures and experiences with the media, but also touched on the differences between themselves and the FLDS.

Here is what one member of the panel said:

Christine is a member of the Apostolic United Brethren based in the Salt Lake Valley.

Christine grew up in a plural family and often experienced ridicule from other children. Part of her motive in speaking out, she said, was to try to spare her own children from that prejudice.

Christine said decriminalizing plural marriage would go a long way toward that. ''We are families, not felons,'' she said.

Christine said she was 21 when she joined a plural family and that the experience has been wonderful. While some women have had negative experiences as plural wives, many have had positive experiences, she said. But that perspective doesn't get equal treatment in the media.

The AUB does not recruit members; it does not support underage marriage. ''We let our girls choose,'' she said, adding that her own sister was 28 and opted to go to college and finish her degree before marrying.

Members of the group have the freedom to stay or go, she said. Her mother left the AUB when Christine was 19 but they continue to have a great relationship, she said.

Christine said she wanted to appeal to the media to provide a fair representation of her group's beliefs and lives. Speaking out means risking loss of jobs, prosecution and having children taken away, she said.

Interesting story here about a social worker helping FLDS mothers.

Click this image to make it bigger and readable!

ACLU Statement On The Government’s Actions Regarding The Yearning For Zion Ranch In El Dorado, Texas (5/2/2008)

On April 3, 2008, Texas law enforcement officials obtained a search warrant related to the suspected sexual assault of a child and then conducted a raid on the Yearning For Zion (YFZ) Ranch near Eldorado, Texas. The search warrant was reportedly based upon a telephone call placed by a female who identified herself as a 16-year old resident at YFZ who was the mother of one child, pregnant with a second child, and who claimed she was being physically abused by her husband.

The YFZ Ranch, which is more than 1000 acres in size, apparently housed more than 700 people (men, women, and children) who are associated with the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS), whose practices include forming families with more than one wife. Although the original search warrant identified only one case of suspected sexual assault, law enforcement officials have now taken into custody all of the approximately 462 children formerly residing at YFZ. The available evidence now suggests that the original call that served as the basis of the warrant was probably made by someone who had never resided at YFZ and that the accused “husband” was at the time residing in Arizona (and may never have lived at YFZ).

Since that time, the media, including internet blogs and listservs, have been filled with reports about YFZ and the FLDS that describe forced marriages, marriages involving underage girls, forced sex with children, and other abuses. There also have been reports of young children suffering trauma caused by the forced separation from their parents.
Although all of the facts are not yet known, the governing principles are well-established:

First, children have a right not to be abused (sexually or otherwise) nor forced into marriages by their parents or by any other person.

Second, parents have a constitutionally protected right to the free exercise of religion and to raise their children in their own faith.

Third, children and parents have the right to be together unless it is determined, applying the proper legal standards adopted by the state and consistent with the United States Constitution, that temporary or permanent removal is necessary. Children may not be separated from their parents based solely on the state’s disagreement with a group’s thoughts or beliefs, religious or otherwise.

Fourth, all persons, including children, have the fundamental right to due process of law. Due process rights for both potential victims and parents accused of neglect or abuse must be respected, and the law must afford each family notice of and the opportunity to contest allegations related to custody in a timely manner.

Based upon news reports and other available information, the ACLU has serious concerns that the state’s actions so far have not adequately protected the fundamental rights at stake. Specifically, the ACLU is concerned that:

The initial raid at YFZ was prompted by a single allegation of abuse now reported most likely to have been made by someone who never resided at YFZ. Law enforcement officials have since removed every child who was living at the ranch, regardless of age or sex, and the state has justified that decision, in part, by explaining that all children at the ranch were at risk because they were exposed to FLDS beliefs regarding underage marriage. Religion is never an excuse for abuse. But, exposure to a religion’s beliefs, however unorthodox, is not itself abuse and may not constitutionally be labeled abuse.

Parents have been separated from their children without individual, adversarial hearings and without particularized evidence that they ever engaged in abuse or were likely to engage in abuse. Children from YFZ have since been dispersed around the state, compounding the harm of forced separation of children – particularly infants – and their parents.

Court-ordered DNA testing has been ordered for all children without having any specific evidence that the parentage of all children was actually in dispute. Parents have been pressured to consent to DNA testing if they wish to be reunited with their children who were forcibly separated from them.

State officials have an important obligation to protect children against abuse. However, such actions should not be indiscriminately targeted against a group as a whole – particularly when the group is perceived as being different or unusual.

Actions should be based on concrete evidence of harm and not based upon prejudice against religious or other communities.
Under these circumstances, it is essential for Texas officials to provide fair judicial proceedings that respect the constitutional rights of all involved – children, parents, and religious communities – while ensuring at the same time that children are protected against abuse where there is credible evidence of such abuse.

The ACLU will continue to monitor the unfolding events and will work to ensure that Texas officials act in a manner that is consistent with the important principles set forth above, including making our views known to the Texas courts at appropriate points in the judicial proceedings.

Elissa Wall, whose forced marriage at age 14 led to a criminal conviction against FLDS president Warren S. Jeffs, will debut her book next week. Here is a preview.

I am in St. George, Utah, where the fourth annual polygamy town hall meeting will take place this evening.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard will speak. So will David Lujan, an Arizona lawmaker.

Here is the question one reader would like them to address: '' I am hoping you can answer something, why does the Attorney General Mark Shurtleff feel no reason to prosecute Bigamy, which is illeagal [Which you might have pointed out BTW]and would bring the FLDS to their knees? Does he not understand that its behaviour like this that makes people in the rest of the country who are non LDS question if he is protecting this cult because they believe something that a lot of higher ups in the LDS church believe will be practiced again?

Something that the local media here seems to be oblivious to, its more than clear to the rest of the country that Utah defends this behaviour, we don’t prosecute except in extreme cases and have groups such as the FLDS to the Kingston clan running around violating young girls and the law. Utah is becoming a laughing stock, Harry Reid spoke out about it and the AG got angry, maybe he should look within, this state deserves its treatment from the outside, we are a blight on the west with the continued approval of this barbarism.''

Shurtleff has heard that one before. His pat answer: Not enough resources, given the tens of thousands of polygamous families in Utah and concern that prosecuting consenting adults could result in a legal precedent in favor of polygamous relationships.

In its plain application bigamy involves fraud; the legal spouse does not know about the third party. That is obviously not the case in plural marriages. And plural marriages generally do not involve state certifications (I have heard of instances where the husband divorces with first wife, with her participation, so he can legally marry the second wife).

So Shurtleff has tackled other crimes, such as religious marriages involving underage girls. Arizona has taken the same approach in prosecuting men from the FLDS community.

Perhaps both men will answer this question, or some variation of it, tonight. I will let you know what they say.

The color red and its significance to the FLDS often gets misinterpreted. One new book about the sect, for example, states that the FLDS consider it the color of Satan.

Actually, the color is considered sacred because the FLDS believe that when Jesus Christ returns to Earth he will be wearing red robes. For that reason, they avoid red clothing.

Some people in the faith extend the prohibition to anything red. Others do not.

Texas authorities noted the ban on red clothing in the cultural guides provided to caregivers for the FLDS children. They also advised that facilities should not provide the children with red toys. That may be an overreaction, based on this email I received from an FLDS:


''I have followed your column and blog for sometime. I was just wondering what is the big to-do about red that the CPS and ex-FLDS always talk about?

I am FLDS, my children still have red toys, red bikes and sometimes shoes with red stripes (when they are a better deal than the other ones).

I would not buy a new red vehicle but if I was buying used and the red one was a good deal I wouldn't think twice about purchasing the dreaded red car. The only so called expert on the FLDS that makes any sense is Walsh.''