Comments about ‘CPS attorneys grill FLDS couple in custody hearing’

The problem is that the child protection laws weren't written to hold a community such as FLDS to account. The laws require the Texas DFPS prove "immediate" danger to the physical health and welfare of the children that requires "urgent" removal.

Girls are taught from birth that they are to be the servants of men -- their fathers, their husbands and their prophets. They are taught to "keep sweet" and give themselves "mind, body and soul" to whichever man is their priesthood head. They learn early on that the more children they have, the greater their heavenly glory.

Boys face the prospect that soon after puberty they will be encouraged or forced out of the community, or they will grow up to be criminals, practicing polygamy in the name of God and possibly becoming sexual predators by accepting without question any child brides they are assigned.

For both boys and girls, there is no chance to dream of anything beyond what the prophet tells them. And that is INHERENTLY ABUSIVE.

The United Nations has decried the practice of polygamy as antithetical to equality rights, human rights and the rights of the child.

The kids lose either way.

Following birth, and for a period of at least 3 months, new mothers are highly susceptible to post partum depression. In this poor womans case, the state has seen fit to put her on the witness stand a mere 1 week after giving birth. Many mothers are still in a state of recuperation and adjustment during this critical period.
It is shocking to think that a one week mother, whose been held falsely as a minor, is now forced to take a witness stand in court.
Being is court is tramatic enough, but to put a new mother into this enviroment is unthinkably cruel.

I would like to know whether the flds members' reverence of Warren Jeffs might, in itself, constitute abuse because he is a convicted sex offender. The compound is full of photos of the man they call the Prophet and his followers believe he is spoken to directly by God under whose direction he acts. It is inconceivable to most of us that a man convicted of sex crimes against a minor could be held up to other children as an object of perfection and source of truth.
Furthermore, on the evidence of continued adulation of Warren Jeffs, flds members belief in his rectitude clearly supercedes their view of his conviction and the facts of the case in which he was convicted. In other word, his members must believe that he did nothing wrong and anything he has done was God's will. This raises a serious question as to whether members, despite their claims, would be willing to adhere to the law of man if it happens to contradict Jeff's will.

How is it legal for the government to abuse children?

EVERY child taken from its home is abused by the taker. Traumatizing children this way should be the rarest government response, and should occur only when the child is in IMMINENT danger that is so serious it exceeds the trauma of the kidnapping.

That means: Burning buildings; hostages held a gunpoint; dude with his pants around his ankles. Anything less than that, and the kidnapping itself constitutes a serious abuse.

Someone belongs in jail for this outrage. Civil penalties are insufficient.

realitycheck;
is it families you hate? or just the idea of a Father as the head of the family? Or do you hate all men? or the woman who take joy and fulfillment in a traditional family? Should the flds girls be groomed by role models like little Miley Cyrus who recently posed nude? or Britney Spears? or jamie lynn spears? why aren't they in court? What about the tens of thousands of underage mothers in the Texas Colonias? no one dares to mention them.

RC, I am hoping that the prospects of at least some of the children improve because of the state's intervention. This appeals court is stacked with three Right Wing judges. They ignored the fact the state is gathering additional evidence. Identities of the children will not even be fully confirmed until the DNA tests are completed for those parents who cooperated. The next appeals court may decide differently.

Simon P, welcome to the modern world. In it, three days is the typical stay of new mothers in the hospital. Many of them are back at work in full-time within a week of giving birth. Testifying in one's own case is hardly onerous. Nor was the witness' embarrassing performance caused by post-partum depression. She is just an awful liar.

Jeffs is already locked up, and if authorities have more evidence against him, they are free to try him for whatever crimes they think he might have committed. What does it have to do with the mother and her baby?

I agree, Simon P. I feel physically ill.

"For both boys and girls, there is no chance to dream of anything beyond what the prophet tells them. And that is INHERENTLY ABUSIVE. "

Let's see: their prophet talks of exaltation in the highest degree of heaven. Exactly what is "beyond" that and how is that "abusive"?

As far as Warren Jeffs, Jesus, Joseph Smith and other people convicted of serious crimes: if you take a good look at those cases, you may change your mind on how they should have been handled.

Emminent threat of abuse is the standard here. The prospect of abuse at some point in the future is not good enough.

work a week after giving birth? And you think it's a good thing? Who is taking care of the infant? Do you not think the infant needs his/her mother?
I hardly think the fact that a mother goes to work a week after giving birth is something to be so proud about.

figures (such as singers or athletes have been accused of a sex crime, or being a child molestor).
Yet, many people still buy their music or go to their sports games. Maybe CPS will consider that child abuse now?

I think the evidence against Warren Jeffs and the method in which he was convicted should not be compared to how Our Lord was convicted. On the other hand I am not sure that Joseph Smith was ever convicted of any crime.
However, I think that the claim that people can be held as undeserving of their children because of how they feel about Warren Jeffs is unjustified. It should be based on actions not beliefs.
The statement about Jeffs kissing the women in the manner of a husband and wife kiss is interesting. Is Texas now going to go after people who french kiss multiple partners? More to the point, unless the photo involved clearly lewd behavior it is not criminal. I am not advocating adults french kissing 12-year-olds, but this alone is not a prosecutable offense.
I think the states treatment of Mrs. Jessop shows no respect for her. They have no evidence she has ever in anyway abused her children. This is even more clear about her one-week-old child. However they are treating her like she is a criminal. They are trying to force her to testify against her husband. That makes me mad.

already said that the FLDS belief system is not enough to take their children from them, because it's not an immediate danger. The ruling was very clear.
I've seen nothing in this article, coming from any questions asked of this mother or father, indicating that this baby, or the couple's other children are in immediate danger.
All the questions (at least as reported here) were about what they believe in.
If you ask me, this judge should follow the law, as appeals court explained it in their ruling.

we all know what is going on in that "religion" and that compound.

we all are realizing there is not much legally that can be done about it.

we all hope the children will be ok.

and we all know that FLDS believes everything they say so trying to explain why it is morally wrong to place children into perpetual servitude does no good. They have their beliefs, but they will be in for a shock when the big guy tosses them for preying on defenseless children.

It will all work out in the end. Might not want to take your longjohns with you when you go, FLDS men - mighty hot down there...

The CPS should consider the dangers of the Texas foster care system. State investigations have revealed that 60% of children in the Texas foster care system have been drugged with powerful psychotropic drugs that have not been approved for children. "Children as young as 3 are receiving powerful, mind-altering drugs." Foster children are being given psychiatric drugs "so they're more docile." Risperdal and Zyprexa - made up half of the drugs prescribed to foster children in Texas. These drugs are among the most dangerous of psychotropic drugs. They carry new FDA-required warnings about diabetes, blood clots and strokes. Sexual abuse in Texas foster care has also been well documented.

I have no horse in this race nor would I be a part of FLDS if they were paying me.... BUT if the Pencilheads at texas cps ever tried to do to my family, what they have done to the FLDS people... there would be a much smaller payroll at the texas department of Pencilheads, also known as CPS

CPS's record so far:
Their original spew was that there were:
31 girls between 14 & 17 yrs old that were pregnant, mothers, or both.
The truth:
There are a grand total of (ready for this) FIVE in that group.
All but one will be 18 this year, 1 gave birth @ 17 and 3 when they were 16. Sorry, no 14.

Five cases of spiritually married young ladies justifys removing how many kids?
Check the nearest 400+ kids to you right now and estimate the teen pregnancies.
Most cut-and-dried case of religous persecution I've seen in my lifetime.

re - Bruce 5:15pm

yes - it is religious persecution. But it is an inherently abusive religion.

What FLDS practices is not illegal, but the servitude of girls is morally wrong.

Texas foster care is far more abuse than anything ever documented or even inferred to have taken place on the FLDS ranch. The practice of putting children into the Texas foster care system is inherently abusive. Unlike accusations against the FLDS, the abuses of the Texas Foster system are well documented.
In fiscal 2003, DPRS employed 12 investigators in its Child Care Licensing (CCL) division to look into 966 reports, most of which involved alleged adult abuse or neglect of children. Of these, the agency found 98 valid, or about 10 percent!!!!!!!
There is also a history of child-on-child abuse:One survey respondent wrote, One of the children I worked with as a therapist in residential care was a sex offender who reported to me that he had victimized several children in a foster care setting!!! THE CPS advocates a system that is INHERENTLY ABUSIVE - and THIS IS documented!!!!!!!