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Carole Mikita reportingMany of the 416 FLDS children could be placed in foster care by Texas Child Protective Services, but there are other options. Today Eyewitness News talked with an attorney who specializes in representing children who have been removed from their homes.
The attorney we spoke with says it's important to remember that despite the media attention this case is getting, this is about taking children away from current or potential physical and sexual abuse--something every state in the country does every day.
Each child taken from the FLDS compound has an attorney who is in court first to protect and second to reunite the children with their families. "And that's all dependent on if the families agree that there's a problem and if the moms and dads are open to treatment--and that's where you're gonna have a big problem," explained attorney Martha Pierce, with the Utah Guardian ad Litem's Office.
On national news shows this week FLDS mothers have denied abuse and harsh discipline, saying they love their children. Pierce says in different cultures and traditions "how" you love a child can mean many things.
"Their culture may support physical discipline that amounts to breaking of bones, what we would call assault. Their culture might support what we would call child brides and what we would call sexual assault and sexual abuse," Pierce explained.
If some, or all, of the children return to the FLDS compound, the court will create a treatment plan with social workers, parenting classes, counseling and schooling. The challenge, Pierce says, is knowing if the parents will change or lie about it.
"With a parent who's involved in a belief system that maybe supports physical and sexual abuse, it's harder to tell if they really have changed the belief system, if they really are going to be more protective of their children. That's going to be in the hands of the judge, and that's going to be a very tricky thing for that judge," Pierce said.
The head of Child Protective Services in Texas has told reporters foster parents are ready to receive all 416 FLDS children. But Pierce says that's not the ultimate goal here. "Nobody wants the children to grow up in foster care. The goal is always to reunify the children or place the children in a family where they can grow up," she said.
Pierce says all 416 FLDS children are temporary wards of the state of Texas. In typical cases, that only lasts as long as it takes to have a court hearing. In this case, it will be longer, but how long no one knows.
E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com
