Appealing to the Texas Supreme Court to Save the Children

The Department of Family and Protective Services appealed to the Texas Supreme Court today, bluntly stating that “this case is about adult men commanding sex from underage children; about adult women knowlingly condoning and allowing sexual abuse of underage children.” They asked the Supreme Court of Texas to intervene.

Their petition is nearly 27 pages long and is chock full of fascinating facts: how the mothers refused to identify themselves, and just exactly how many underage girls, pregnant or with babies, they had found. They could establish that girls as young as thirteen were pregnant, proving that men must have sexually abused them at least nine months before. Some FLDS members stated that when a girl begins her period, she is ready for marriage.

The Department’s petition to the Texas Supreme Court said that the appellate court improperly reviewed the evidence of the trial court. The appeals court’s role was simply to determine whether or not a lower court abused its discretion, not to look over the evidence and second-guess the lower court’s decision. The appeals court ruling was highly unusual in that it granted relief in a case that had not yet been decided.

Stay tuned for more developments early next week!