We are a democracy after all. It is undemocratic to be brainwashed from an early age to believe you have no rights and forced to live without access to all kinds of information with which to make choices. Polygamy is illegal. It shouldn’t be monitored, it should be abolished. The only way they have gotten away with it is that they claim it’s a religion. It’s not a religion. Polygamy is an exploitative and abusive lifestyle forced upon women and children. Preventing abuse is everyone’s business.

Of course, any time children are involved, all things should be monitored and by everyone that is a responsible adult. And, not just in this country but worldwide.

It is my understanding that the practice of polygamy is against the law, federal law. In fact, didn’t the state of Utah ban the practice in order to gain statehood? If that is the case, absolutely, it should be monitored and the laws enforced as with any other illegal activity. That should be the case even in those instances clearly limited to consenting adults. Prostitution is an activity that generally involves consenting adults yet it is against the law and those laws are regularly enforced. The same applies to the use of drugs. Should we just turn our heads to these illegal activities as some are wont to do with polygamy?

I can’t find the comment now that I was going to reply to, but here it is: One man doesn’t support 20-30 wives. They support him, either by their labor at home or by going out and getting jobs, and turning over their paychecks to him. These women are not always, or perhaps not usually, there willingly. They are coerced at an early age, which is one of the legal/social issues, to participate in these marriages. Then, if they try to leave there are various ways of making them stay, either by physical or psychological coercion. I used to work with a nurse who left such a community in Utah. She was prevented from taking her children or having any face-to-face contact with them, and could only talk to them by phone. This was very painful for her, but at least as long as I knew her, she didn’t go back. There are a lot of women for whom this would be too great a sacrifice. It’s the same reason some women stay in ordinary bad, but controlling and abusive, marriages.

It illustrates that some men, even in a modern democracy, will find a way to live out the male fairy tale in which (1) they can have their way with as many women as possible for as long as they can, with new women always on the way; (2) they are Emperor; (3) the women submit silently and obediently, without coming up with these confounding ideas about having rights and being able to say no to sex. The fact that these monsters created a religious justification for this practice illustrates how easy it is to subjugate other people if you isolate your prey and claim that God is your CEO. Outrageous and worthy of prosecutorial action, yes. New, no. Any prosecutor can tell you that.

“Are the goings-on within polygamist sects any of our business?” Yes. The goings on in the homes and relationships between consenting adults who properly care for each other and their children is none of our business - regardless of lifestyle. However, when people are harmed or placed at risk through abuse, sexual or otherwise legal authorities in the form of social services and law enforcement must intervene to stop the abuse, protect the innocent and uphold the rule of law.

I don’t think there is any question of the necessity for stepping into a situation such as this one. However, like another respondent, I worry about how the women and childredn “confiscated” from this group will fare now. As emotionally damaging as it has been for them, this is the life they grew up with. To be removed from any family they’ve ever known will be initially traumatic, although ultimately a godsend, I hope. I live in Texas, and I worry about any state’s family services. The men should be prosecuted, yes, but I’m more concerned that the women and children be provided for, trained, and educated. I’d like to see far more focus there, although I’m afraid the primary effrots will be to initiate protracted lawsuits against the men and their “church.” Men enjoy leading the charge, but it invariably falls to women to clean up the mess. I hope the women of Texas will rise to the challenge.

When humans, especially those who have no means to extricate themselves from their oppressors, are being oppressed and harmed, our society has the obligation to remove them from their dangerous environments. An extra burden is being placed on the social service agents, but is necessary. Effort now will serve to prevent future crimes against humanity in Texas and elsewhere. Best wishes to those in authority as they do their important work.

If this were an individual household, minors were being abused, and the state became aware of it, the state would be obligated to step in and remove the minors. I do not think that this situation is any different.

The issue that needs intervention in my opinion is not polygamy, its the sexual, mental and physical abuse that people, mostly girls and women, are suffering. If consenting adults, decide without coercion to pursue a polygamous relationship I have no interest in stopping them - its when the situaltion if forced, manipulated or abusive that there is a problem. Cultural/ religious imperatives of any kind do not excuse institutionalised harm. Tiara

The legal authourities have been ignoring this type of situation forever. WHY ? As soon as one sect gets away with this sort of abuse, and is seen not to be charged with the breaking of laws, another is sure to crop up and attempt to introduce something worse… such as Sharia law or worse. It is time for women to take this in hand, and at every opportunity, to ask the people who are running for ANY office… from President to local sherrif… what do they plan to do about these situations if they are elected. There’s more than one way to force these situations out into the light of the foreground.

Yes, yes, and law enforcement. Polygmay is illegal…it fosters an environment that subjugates women, and often makes them and their children victims of abuse. You have only to read the book ESCAPE by Carolyn Jessop to be shocked into the realization and horror of it all.

It sickens me that, again and again, child abusers are allowed to hide behind religion. What corrective action can we (women over 40) make?

This is just another form of slavery, and slavery was abolished in this country. Slavery is illegal, polygamy is illegal, child abuse is illegal… I’m glad somebody finally stepped in and stopped it.

I am grateful though surprised we don’t have another Waco on our hands. How can the cry of help from one woman get this ball rolling when there are thousands of abused women in this country who live in terror for their lives and are not protected by the law enforcers of their city, country, state? And why are they unable to identify the person who made the accusation? Perhaps she is in protective custody. Anyway the lives of many are abruptly twisted and will be for a long time to come if not forever.