Former child bride asks for LDS action

"I thought...unless I become a member of (the LDS) Church, they're not going to help me," she said. "Looking back at the different girls caught in polygamy, they have nowhere to go. Why is it the Mormon church has not set up a refuge for these people?"

Anti-polygamy groups have repeatedly accused LDS leaders of turning a blind eye to abuses within polygamy.

"Its leaders remain silent while Mormon fundamentalists campaign to legalize or decriminalize polygamy. The church routinely turns down opportunities to help women and children who escape from polygamist communities," Tapestry Against Polygamy director Vicky Prunty told the Deseret Morning News earlier this year.

Questions about the level of LDS Church support were raised publicly during a town hall meeting on polygamy held last month in St. George. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said the LDS Church has provided help in the past.

"They do it quietly," Shurtleff said.

The HOPE Organization, which helps women and children leaving polygamy, said it receives support from the local Methodist and Catholic churches, but not the LDS Church.

"These are people in need, and we need to help them," said HOPE director Elaine Tyler.

Asked if the LDS Church could — or should — do more to help those leaving abuse in polygamy, Murphy says "yes."

"I would also make that same request to every church, mosque, synagogue and every charitable organization out there," he said. "The need is great. The resources are few."

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com