Just read that Texas' case has completely unraveled and ALL children are being returned to their parents' custody. It's sad that the FLDS children who really need protection aren't going to get it (at least not right away) because of the state's crazy approach to the situation.
I still think you go after the men. You've got all of this DNA evidence. You can prove men have impregnated teenage girls. Nail them to the wall and remove the true cause of the problem.
A big part of it is that the Child Protection Agency did not have the RIGHT to remove any or all of the children. They could not prove to a local court, a court of appeals or the Texas Supreme Court that ALL of the children were in danger. In fact they could not prove any single ONE child was in danger which is the standard the State has to meet to remove children from their parents. All they could "prove" was that they received a tip and that some of the "mothers" were actually under age. They also have been finding that some of the supposedly underage mothers are actually in their 20s but refused to accepty driver's licenses from Arizona as proof...they demanded birth certificates and then still didn't want to reclass them as non-children.
I don't condone what has been "supposedly" happening at the compound...and I say supposedly because under our justice system these PEOPLE ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY! There has not been one shred of evidence provided that would standf up in court...this was basically a witch hunt that the media has sensationalized. However, we don't prosecute anyone who knocks up a 13 year old in the barrios but because this was done by a religion that the majority do not support, it is ok to prosecute.
Also in Texas 16 is the legal age for marriage with parental consent. My wife married her first husband at age 16 and no one would ever accused her parents of being unfit. Again because it is wrapped inside a religion many don't understand or accept doesn't mean that the parents are unfit to make the decision to let their 16 year olds wed. And once they wed there is no prohibition against having sex.
