FLDS Children Will all Be Returned to Parents

The Fundamentalist Church of the Latter day Saints condones polygamy and broke from the Mormon Church which renounced the practice last century.

SAN ANGELO, Texas (Catholic Online) - Texas District Judge Barbara Walther issued an order on Monday which allows the parents of more than 400 children who were taken from the FLDS ranch to come and take their children home.

The children had been taken from the "Yearning For Zion Ranch" in April. The Texas Child Protective Services came to the Ranch and removed the children alleging child abuse and an unsafe environment.

The Parents of the children denied the allegations. The case has had high public notoriety and raised serious legal issues on both sides.

The Judge was following the directions of the Texas Supreme Court which ruled last week that the action of the State Agency was not constitutionally of legally justified. The Order was agreed upon by lawyers representing the parents of the children and the Child Welfare Agency.

The Order requires that all of the parents stay within the State of Texas, attend parenting classes and allow the Agency access to the children as they continue their investigation. In addition, the Agency may make unannounced home visitations.

Among the allegations were claims that children were forced into illegal 'marriages' in the polygamous groups Ranch and that five of the girls were sexually abused.

The Fundamentalist Church of the Latter day Saints condones polygamy and broke from the Mormon Church which renounced the practice last century.

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