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NEWS ABOUT: polygamy

Sect Elder Blasts 'Terrorist' Raid

'It does not require a foreign country to commit terrorist acts on American soil,' letter to Bush reads

(Newser) - An elder of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints condemned the raid against a sect compound in Texas last month as a “terrorist act” in a letter to President Bush, CNN reports. Members of the FLDS have complained of the treatment of the families whose... More »

Texas Raid Rocks Other Polygamists

Similar communities in Utah, Ariz., fear they might be next on list

(Newser) - The raid on the Texas compound of a polygamist sect has similar communities worried, reports the New York Times. Groups of polygamists belonging to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints live along the Utah-Arizona border and many fear that the crackdown on their Texas brethren means they... More »

Polygamy Hubby Tallies 21 Wives

And 36 children

(Newser) - A husband in the Texas polygamist ranch where children were seized to protect them from suspected child abuse has 36 kids and 21 wives—with the youngest 43 years his junior, reports CNN. The information on the 67-year-old member—whose youngest child is 6 months old—is included on a... More »

Many Kids From Sect Had Broken Bones

State also says boys may have been sexually abused

(Newser) - Of 463 children seized from a Texas polygamist compound, 41 show evidence of broken bones at a young age, the Dallas Morning News reports. "Several of these fractures have been found in very young children," said the head of Child Protective Services, which also said it's looking into... More »

Teen From Texas Sect Gives Birth

State says she's younger than 18, but ranch officials deny it

(Newser) - One of the teens taken from a polygamist sect in Texas gave birth to a boy today as state police stood guard outside her hospital room, the Houston Chronicle reports. State officials say the mother is younger than 18 and that she will be taken to a foster care facility... More »

Half of Sect's Teens Have Been Pregnant

Last of kids involved in polygamist case bused to foster homes

(Newser) - Of 53 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 taken from a polygamist sect in Texas, 31 have had children or are pregnant, the Houston Chronicle reports. Officials announced that the last of the 463 minors taken from the El Dorado ranch had been bused to foster homes after... More »

Eldorado Sect Has Branch in South Dakota

No abuse allegations, but police wonder about 'locked-down operation'

(Newser) - The polygamous sect currently under investigation in Eldorado, Texas, has a sister compound in Pringle, SD—and it's making locals queasy, USA Today reports. The Pringle compound was started by the same leader in 2003, and is valued over $4.5 million. "They don't just open their doors,"... More »

Sect Style: Flamboyant Modesty

Women's uber-modest fashion clearly sets polygamists apart

(Newser) - The women’s clothes from the Texas polygamist compound call to mind both Little House on the Prairie and prison garb. Yet there’s something elaborate, or even flamboyant, in the carefully crafted styles that set these women so distinctly at odds with modern culture, writes Robin Givhan in the ... More »

Sect Children Slowly Meet Outside World

Care workers advised to keep them away from TV—and red clothes

(Newser) - The last of the 462 children removed from the compound of a polygamous sect have been placed in foster care in 16 locations around Texas, the Houston Chronicle reports. The caregivers have been given lengthy instructions on how to treat the children, including keeping them away from TV, radio, and... More »

25 Moms ID'd as Minors in Polygamy Probe

Families separated as probe into rogue Mormon sect continues

(Newser) - Texas authorities have identified 25 more mothers from a polygamist ranch as underage girls, bringing the number of juveniles in custody to 460. The girls had initially claimed to be adults, Reuters reports. Officials are keeping hundreds of women and children from the polygamist compound in temporary custody in a... More »

Polygamist Tip-Off Traced to Hoaxer's Phone

Woman has history of making fake calls to abuse hotlines

(Newser) - Some of the dramatic calls thought to be from an abused teen that sparked a raid on a Texas polygamist ranch have been traced to a cell phone number previously used by a well-known hoaxer, the Denver Post reports. Court documents reveal that the 33-year-old woman has a history of... More »

Texas Moving Sect Kids Into Foster Care

Action taken before notifying lawyers; some bused to group homes

(Newser) - Texas authorities began moving children from a polygamist ranch to foster group homes around the state today. More than 100 of the children were bused to facilities, and the remaining 300 or so will likely follow later this week, the Houston Chronicle reports. The move comes on the second day... More »

Polygamist Sect Launches Online PR Campaign

Features photos of tanks and 'pioneer girls'

(Newser) - Members of the Texas polygamist community whose children were seized because of suspected abuse have taken their battle against authorities to the Internet, reports the Deseret News. The sect has launched two companion websites—one of them featuring photos and videos of crying children being led away, flanked by armed... More »

Polygamist Sect Men Break Silence

Members 'have been made very aware' of state marriage laws

(Newser) - Male members of the Texas polygamist sect say they weren’t aware that state law prohibits people under 18 from marrying until after the raid on their compound, CBS News reports. Three men from the Yearning for Zion ranch said on the Early Show that they'll cooperate with court-ordered DNA... More »

Texas Keeps Sect Kids for DNA Testing

Polygamous ranch forced children to obey, psychiatrist testifies

(Newser) - A judge ruled today that 416 kids seized at a polygamous ranch in Texas will be held for genetic testing, the San Angelo Standard-Times reports. At the end of a 2-day custody hearing, Judge Barbara Walther said the tests were needed to sort out relationships between the sect's parents and... More »

Outside Sect, Life is Tough

Free from polygamous compounds, escaped women often turn to drugs and alcohol

(Newser) - Even for those women who escape the forced marriages and controlling patriarchy of polygamous sects like the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, life isn’t easy. Many turn to drugs and alcohol to escape the mental burden, CNN reports. And some never leave because they’re programmed to think... More »

Polygamist Hearing Has Chaotic First Day

State plans to relocate sect's 416 children

(Newser) - Lawyers for the state of Texas told a chaotic, objection-filled hearing today they would press for psychiatric evaluations and genetic testing of all members of a polygamist sect, the New York Times reports. On the first day of a custody hearing to determine the fate of the sect's 416 children,... More »

Texas Officials Justify Splitting Sect Families

Child-welfare authorities cite need to break 'code of silence'

(Newser) - Texas family-services officials today defended their decision to separate the mothers and children removed from a polygamous Mormon sect last week as the only way to get at the truth about alleged child abuse, the Houston Chronicle reports. Fifty-seven of the 139 mothers were forced to leave the group of... More »

Moms Return to Polygamist Ranch

Texas moves their kids to new shelter, plans legal battle

(Newser) - Nearly 140 women from a polygamist sect returned home today as officials moved their kids to a new shelter, the AP reports. The mothers had joined 416 children who were seized by Texas troopers 2 weeks ago and taken to a historic fort. Today officials moved the kids to a... More »

Poor Conditions Behind Moving of Sect's Kids

416 children being taken to undisclosed 'suitable' Texas location

(Newser) - Over 400 children seized from a polygamist sect are being bused to a more "suitable" location from their current West Texas housing, a state official tells the Houston Chronicle. Women inside Fort Concho complained over the weekend of cramped conditions at the temporary shelter. The state plans to ask... More »

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