There has been an ample amount of coverage and opining on the raid on the FLDS compound in Texas. I hesitated to post thoughts here, but it seems the debate is heating up rather than simmering down, and wanted to allow your thoughts to be posted here.
As a Mother I ache for both the children and their parents. I cannot imagine someone entering my home, taking my children, separating them from me, and disallowing contact. As Mother's we live for our children. To protect them, to cuddle them, to teach them. It seems all these children will have long term emotional issues from this separation.
But what of the long term emotional issues from being raised in an isolated community that has a pattern of abuse? Children, girls, under the age of 18 do not belong in marriages or sexual relationships, especially with men more than double their age. The idea of 14, 15, 16 year olds in this type of situation makes your skin crawl. It also makes you want to protect them - removing them from the situation - which is what Texas did.
As the court fiasco continues today, the logistical nightmare of custody and the emotional nightmare for the children will continue. What's best? I don't know. But it would be nice for the focus of the coverage on the crime (child abuse) and not the side show (polygamy).
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
You understand though why there is such an interest in the "slide slow" polygamy. It is such a foreign idea to those of us in normal, healthy relationships. I too am torn as to the right thing to do. Freedom of religion does not give someone the right to abuse others in the name of religion. The women I see seem to be almost robotic and very wary to answer any questions that are the hard questions. They have been completely brainwashed since the cradle that they are right and we are wrong. The root of the sadness for me though is that women only have value in producing children. How sad, we are so much more valuable and important that just for that.
Definitely a tough situation. I saw something about possibly trying to speak on the children's behalf by their ages. So send them back to their homes till they turn 11 or 12, and then yank them? I don't envy that judge. FOR SURE the children need to be protected. I can't imagine how scary it would be to be married off without a choice so young to someone comparitively so old.
I agree, it's tough, but a new foster home every 18 months for these kids will not be better. That will not "protect" them from their future of attachment issues and mental illness.
I think that for the most part, what Texas has done is right and in the best interest of the children. Brad and I have good friends in Cedar City, he stems from a polygamist family, but doesn't practice himself. Not only has there been sexual abuse and emotionally abusive practices, but there has also been 4 cases of incest in that family. Recently, they turned their family in for that. They spoke with the reporter in Arizona that broke the Warren Jeffs case wide open several years ago. The practice of polygamy is NOT the problem, it is the things that seem to go along with it. The "lost boys" that you have seen on the news along with the rest. Do the mothers not care about them? If so, they aren't nearly as open about it. The predominate males in the religion are nowhere in the news, what of them, isn't a father supposed to stick up for their families? And the sexualization of young girls is morally wrong. It is abusive in every way. Back in the 1700's and 1800's it wasn't uncommon for girls to be married and having children by the time they were 15 or 16, but life span was half as short as it is now. I do worry about the children that are stuck in the middle of all the controversy, I wish there were an easy solution to keeping them safe and there was a way to protect them from the heartache that has entered their lives.
Post a Comment