Individual Blog

#3

Texas Polygamist Camp

Since the raid on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' camp, in Texas, I am still unsure of what to make of the whole ordeal. According to CNN, over 400 children have been removed from the camp by the State, and a judge ruled that DNA samples should be taken to determine the parents of each child.

I remember a couple of years back watching a program about the supposed polygamist sect and wondering why, since polygamy is illegal in the U.S., no one did anything to end the practice at the camp. The program showed former members of the sect telling their individual experiences on the Texas ranch. From what I remember, it sounded pretty scary.

Now that the police have raided the ranch and taken the children into custody, I can't decide whether the children are in a better situation now, without their parents. The mothers are fighting for custody of their children and I can't help but to feel sympathy for them. But at the same time, from what I have heard about the ranch, I worry that the ranch was not a safe environment for the children. Stories of abuse from former members seem to show that the ranch is not a pleasant place to grow up.

I cannot decide what to think about the situation, and I am sure that it is a lot harder for those individuals involved and for the state officials.

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