Polygamy, a Greek word meaning 'many women,' has existed for millenniums. Many cultures and societies have embraced polygamous lifestyles. The early Hebrews (King Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines), Chinese, African, Polynesian, and Indian cultures also practiced polygamy.
Members of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) practiced plural marriages until 1890. After 1890 it was outlawed, but several sects continued to condone and practice multiple marriages. These renegade groups were excommunicated from the LDS church. It is estimated that about 37,000 men, women, and children reside in polygamous family units in North America, with the largest percentage of that population living in Utah.
Recently, state troopers raided the Yearning For Zion (YFZ) Ranch in Eldorado, Texas. A phone call was made to a domestic violence shelter from a girl claiming she was a 16-year-old abuse victim living on the compound. The girl who made the call has never been identified or located. Was it a hoax? No one seems to know at this point, or if they do they aren’t admitting to it.
To date, 465 children from the YFZ Ranch have been placed in the care of the State of Texas’ Child Protective Services. This, however, is not the first time lawmakers removed children from a group that practiced polygamy.
On July 26, 1953, Arizona State Police and the US National Guard took 236 children from their parents in the town of Short Creek, Arizona. Of those 236 children, 150 were not reunited with their parents for over two years, and some children were never returned to their families.
In 1991, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS church) was established in Colorado City, previously known as Short Creek. Their leader was Warren Jeffs, who was put on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List in 2006 for being an accomplice to rape. He was convicted and is now serving a sentence of ten years to life in the Utah State Prison. The Yearning For Zion Ranch in Eldorado, Texas is affiliated with the FLDS Church in Colorado City. Reports circulated in 2005 that Warren Jeff attended the dedication ceremony of the ranch and temple.
Article comments
1 - Sam weaver
Dr. Mitchell, the entire situation is terrible. Whether you agree or disagree with polygamy, one should abide by the laws of the land they live in. The state of Texas has made of mess of everything. I hope the way things were handled will not alter the outcome for the mothers and their children. I love the refugee
idea. How do you think the mothers are coping?
2 - Juliann Mitchell
Sam, thank you for your comments and question. To answer your question is speculative on my part but I believe the mothers of the YFZ Ranch are grieving tremendously. Their children have been taken away and there is great uncertainty if they will ever be returned. Also the mothers lives seemed to have been focused on taking care of the children Now that their roles of caregivers have been eliminated I cannot imagine how they structure their days and nights. Depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, loss of self-esteem, blame, shame, sadness, guilt, worthlessness, etc, and the list of negative emotions could go on and on for what they could be experiencing. Their anguish was real from the interviews I saw on the television. Just as the children have been severely traumatized so have the mothers.
3 - Richard Wexler
Thank you for taking note of the op ed column Johana Scot and I wrote for the Star-Telegram.
As you may know, 11 mental health professionals, sent in by the state of Texas itself after the raid have spoken out, horrified by what they saw.
One of them said this about how the children played, after their mothers were taken from them:
"Children were grabbing toys from others and using the toys as play weapons against each other and their 'captors.' In my estimation they were acting out their fear and anger"
Links to all of the statements can be found on the Blog at www.nccpr.org
--Richard Wexler
Executive Director
National Coalition for Child Protection Reform
4 - Brandy
I agree - simply placing them in foster care is not the happy ending to the story. And I wondered as you state you did, above, how the extremity and suddenness of the 'confiscation' of the children affected them. From their point of view, they were snatched out of their homes and away from everything and everyone they knew. That had to be traumatic.
Whether or not the change is beneficial long term, I think only King Solomon could answer.
5 - Juliann Mitchell
Richard,
Thank you so much for your comments and for the op-ed piece you and Johana Scot wrote in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
I am not at all surprised at the chidren's play behaviors. This is a horrible situation for everyone and the children are the innocent victims of a system that has failed them and continues to do so.
Juliann
6 - Juliann Mitchell
Brandy,
Time will tell how this has affected and impacted the children. This situation has been so traumatic for both the children and their mothers. I suspect it is going to take years to sort out and the children once again are victimized.
7 - Purple Tigress
There is no happy ending for these children. The girls are kept in ignorance. Both boys and girls are taught to lie.
Any time any segment of the population is oppressed, there can be no true happiness.
8 - Juliann Mitchell, PhD
Purple Tigress,
This really is a travesty for all the children involved.
Juliann