A Forthright Summing-up

The Vancouver Sun's Daphne Bramham has offered a sound summing-up of what was heard (and what was not heard).  She writes:-

Happy polygamists were strangely absent through eight weeks of court hearings aimed at determining whether Canada’s law forbidding the practice is constitutional.

Perhaps it’s because not one male polygamist testified before Chief Justice Robert Bauman in B.C. Supreme Court. It’s odd when you think about it, because worldwide and throughout history, polygamy is almost invariably about men having multiple wives.

The bishop of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, James Oler, filed an affidavit describing how polygamy was an essential part of his faith. But that was pulled when it became apparent that lawyers for the governments of Canada and British Columbia were eager to have a chance to question him.

The same happened with FLDS school principal Merrill Palmer.

Neither the Canadian Polyamory Advocacy Association nor the court-appointed amicus curiae, George Macintosh, called any secular polygamists even though several men and women filed affidavits. 

Also absent were Muslims — even though Islam is one of only two religions that sanctions the practice and Islam’s followers number 940,000 in Canada and 1.6 billion worldwide. 

Even though the judge allowed the FLDS to testify anonymously to avoid future prosecution, it was left to fundamentalist Mormon women — the sister-wives — to defend the practice.

That’s ironic, since everyone testified that it’s the men who head their communities, their homes and ensure the women’s ascension into heaven. Every one of the women described polygamy as challenging, even though all insisted that the rewards on Earth and in the afterlife are worth it.

 Read more:

Impressions of a City

VANCOUVER VIGNETTES

Rain …... Arrived in Vancouver at my small apartment hotel to find that there was no elevator – I was on the 3^rd floor and faced 40 stairs up to my rooms, and 40 stairs down to the lobby (plus another eight up to the garage) …... Unloading all the baggage I brought for my 2½ month stay and trekking up the stairs with it proved to be a nightmare ….... Each day for 2½ months – up and down ….... Rain …... Walking in the rain in a completely waterproof coat ….... Despite the rain, taking a daily early morning walk along the Stanley Park seawall and finding that some of my favourite sections are closed for repair …... Wondering at the calm water in the vast expanse of English Bay …... Looking out over the water and seeing 27 geese, one behind the other, paddling merrily along (no V-formation on the water) …... Rain …... A dragon boat whose cox has a voice loud enough to reach my ears from a quarter-mile away …... Cargo ships at anchor at the mouth of the Bay, all painted the same colours (black upper structure, rusty red below), awaiting their turn to go north to dock in the Burrard Inlet …... Aircraft in the distance, disappearing behind Point Grey as they descend to land at Vancouver Airport …... Rain …... Clouds dipping low, dark grey, pregnant with water about to fall …... Translink …... A monthly pass that allows me to travel anywhere in the Translink system …... A trip to the airport on the Skytrain, which acts like a roller-coaster as it approaches the airport …... On the return journey, a chance meeting with Bron Johnson, a young actor who appeared in a play I directed at the Powerhouse, It Runs in the Family, hugs and catching up with each other's news before he had to get off the train …... Rain …... A day with family …... Talking and playing Pretend with two terrific grandchildren …... Happy lunches with in-laws on the North Shore – how lucky we are to have Ursula and George in our lives …... Exploring downtown Vancouver …... Surprised to find that the north end of Granville Street has now been opened up to buses …... Overhearing a conversation between two prostitutes as they walked along the street – the older one advising the younger, greener one “Now, if he says this, then you should reply like this. But, on second thoughts, just be yourself, and” ….. Sloshing through Vancouver's first snowfall of the winter – heavy, wet snow that our bus found hard to deal with, at one point skidding sideways to a halt halfway across a junction …... Rain washing away the snow …... Sitting day after day in Room 55 at the Vancouver Courthouse, that stunning Arthur Erickson building with a huge glass roof that runs almost the length of a city block …... Beautiful oak woodwork in the courtroom, scarlet carpeting throughout ….. Look at the floor carefully, and you can see that the carpet is composed of squares, so that, if damaged or stained, they can be replaced easily …... The judge, in sober black robes, seated on high …... The barristers, in sober black robes, their backs to the public, standing to address His Lordship …... Civility and polite exchanges - “Your Lordship”, “My friend”, “My learned friend” …... Opening my notebook, scribbling notes as fast as I could …... Rain …... Buffet luncheons in the Court House Inn …... Meeting Spencer, the court stenographer, and being invited to approach his position just below the judge's bench, to see how court reporting is now done by computer – no more five-key 'typewriters' – technology marches on …... Meeting and talking with many people – lawyers, clerks, members of the public, witnesses, media …... Listening intently to argument and counter-argument …...Rain …... Meeting Nancy, a total stranger whose name was forwarded to me by a friend, and with whom I shared a tasty Greek lunch …... Davie Street, the smallest Tim Horton's I have ever seen (about 12 feet square!), shops catering to any possible food preference …... Taking a trolley bus from Davie & Granville to 4^th & Vine, and coming to an unexpected halt at the southern end of Granville Street Bridge – workers up ahead fixing a broken switch on the overhead wires – a supervisor telling our driver to “go up to Broadway, turn right and coast down Fir Street” - passengers remonstrating – most got out to walk, I stayed put – a couple of minutes later the supervisor telling our driver to bring down his overhead poles, coast around the overhead work being done, stop and put up the poles again …... I didn't know trolley buses could travel without being attached to their overhead wires, but our driver told us each bus has a $20,000 battery for very short distance emergency travel …... The comforting sound of Psshhhh as the front end of the bus is lowered at stops where people need a less difficult step up into the bus …... Rain mixed with a few teeny-tiny snowflakes …... My little Prius had an argument with one of the pillars in the tiny parking area below the hotel as it tried to manoeuvre its way out into the alley. The front passenger door was scraped and scored...... On Christmas Eve out to the airport to meet husband David upon his return from a ten-day holiday in Havana, (with son Adam as his guide), and tearing hell for leather for the noon ferry to Bowen Island, catching it by the skin of our teeth, and leaving Horseshoe Bay two minutes later. Never cut it that close before! …... Gale force winds and heavy,lashing rain ...... Reached our warm and welcoming B&B to learn that we were to be the only guests there over the holiday …... Christmas morning with Harry Potter in his Hogwart robes, and a Fairy Princess in flowing mauve gown and a princess's hat ….... Playing and talking, talking and playing …... Helping prepare food for a sumptuous dinner, more talking and laughter during the meal …... Drying a humungous pile of dishes afterwards …... Met up for a return dinner with the family in Vancouver …... The next day, laid low by a horrible lurgie – heavy cold and cough that came out of nowhere …... and the sun shone brilliantly for several days …... Managed to take a lengthy walk along the foreshore with David, who took good care of me …... This morning, a bald eagle circled lazily a few feet above a nearby condo building …... On New Year's Day took a leisurely stroll down to the beach to watch the Polar Bear Swim at English Bay. There must have been at least ten thousand others with the same idea. And there were hundreds of dogs – big white fluffy ones, small white fluffy ones, a yappy Jack Russell, a gorgeous beige pug with majestic stride, older Labs and Goldens, a Newfie Duck Troller, a beautiful Weimaraner – sadly, not a single mutt in sight ...... Temperature about 2C, brilliant blue sky, blinding sunshine, I made my way across the sand to within about 20 feet of the water and watched (crazy ijit) swimmers heading out towards the squadron of sailboats, surfboards, motor boats, dragon boats, rowboats and a police boat – all ready to save anyone who got into difficulty. Two swimmers with reindeer headgear really did look like deer in distress! …... As the crowds dispersed, I couldn't help but think of the Stewart/Colbert rally in Washington on that late summer day, when Jon Stewart pleaded for civility and respect among the people of his country - “You go, no you go” he said ...... Those Canadians, on that day, in that place, personified the cooperation and – yes – politeness that Jon Stewart so longed for in his own country. No-one pushed, no-one swore, no-one held up disparaging signs - there was no hate …... There were just Canadians being Canadian …... It was a memorable couple of hours ….. And then the rains came …... again …... Court re-opened for the final phase of the polygamy reference …... The Courthouse a huge ice-cold box on the 5^th floor, where the reference is taking place in Room 55 …... Removing coat and vest when entering the room, replacing same in order to go to the ladies room or the restaurant …... Water mixed with slushy snow streaming down the glass roof overhead …... Cold and rain …... David flew home after the day's session on 5^th January …... I miss him – the endearments, the execrable puns, the crossword puzzles, the hugs, the long conversations about things that interest us …... Making a detour to another courtroom to be present at the sentencing of Inderjit Singh Reyat - taller than I imagined, dignified, totally impassive …... Nine years minus credit for time already served (17 months) …... Sunshine – a weekend break in the weather and a fierce, body-punching wind that scoured out the rain and dried off the roads …... The following morning I took a 35-minute walk along the seawall, noted ten little kayaks silhouetted against the pinkening morning sky and moving along on water that was no longer mirror-calm, but rolling in a small swell …... There, on the foreshore and pointing out to sea, a newly-felled tree, glistening a pale yellow, its bark gone, totally stripped of leaves, but still guarding its root-ball and naked stumps of branches – a victim of the wind and tides …... On the beach near the paddling pool a kayaker prepared to launch her craft into the noisy breakers …... I saw her a short while later, paddling determinedly to catch up with her friends …... Taking the car out for a short run, in order to keep its batteries in good order …... Snow! …... The snow came and went – not the 20cms. promised by Environment Canada, but a scarcely visible 2cms. that began to fall just before I went to bed and ended before I got up, and turned immediately to slush as the rain fell – no need for boots or concerns about slipping, sliding buses this time …... Today (13^th January) it was warm enough - 9C - for flower buds to begin opening and bulbs to send out shoots. I half expected to see rhododendrons bursting into bloom! …... Weekend and a Robson Square birthday skating party with my grandchildren ...... A mini-rink with many skaters going round and round, children (and some beginning adults) using ice walkers, other adults skating either incredibly gracefully or windmilling arms as they tried not to fall down …... NanaJoJo guarding a pile of bags and coats ….... A mini-Zamboni (about a quarter the size of the real thing) polishing the ice for 20 minutes while Moms and children ate pizza outside the glass walls …... Then back to the ice for more skating …... Amazing how quickly non-skaters among the children found their balance on the blades …... Walking to the bus afterwards and noticing for the first time the polka-dotted sidewalks in downtown Vancouver – polka-dotted with ancient chewing gum and bubble gum in all kinds of colours …... Attended a UWC evening round table at Hycroft House, discussing the polygamy reference, and what actions/plans would be needed to get governments to act ….. what a beautiful old mansion that is …... And then …... Oh horror!! …... Tried to open my Hotmail account to find that just before 1am. in the morning my password had been changed. Ten minutes after that shock there was a phone call from my sister-in-law to say that she had just received an email from me asking for $1800! Then a phone call from my husband saying that the President of a local group at home had just received an email from me requesting $1800 …... Didn't know whether to laugh or cry …... Never been hacked like that before …... No more email from me for the remainder of my stay in Vancouver …... Rain ….... Took a seawall walk in a medium heavy downpour, and wore my wellies (rubber boots) this time. The child in me enjoyed sloshing and hopping through deep puddles that the fastidious adult would have avoided like the plague …... Am almost at the end of my stay in Vancouver and I wonder if, after 2½ months of going up and down those 40 steps, deliberately avoiding the handrail, my legs bench press will be greater than 90 lbs. …... I am packing and loading my things gradually over the next few days …... Every time I leave the hotel I take a bag of possessions to the garage and stow it away in the car …... it's working well so far – manageable weight and bulk for each trip …... Am watching the Weather Channel like a hawk, but conditions on projected departure dates keep changing – sunshine icon one day, blue raindrops the next …... Took the bull by the horns and decided that Thursday would be departure day …... must have made at least ten trips to load the car over a period of five days …... Set off from a cloudy Vancouver just after 8 o'clock, and made my way to Highway 1 …... No sunshine until a mile north of the old Toll Booth on the Coquihalla, then brilliant blue skies with a few clouds, and plus 13 degrees in the Merritt area …... A six-hour trip and thus my adventure has come to its end.

The Final Days of the Polygamy Reference

Yesterday in court we heard from the final two FLDS witnesses about their life as plural wives.  They were the last to give evidence about life in the polygamous community of Bountiful.

Today the Chief Justice was to hear arguments before deciding whether two late-arriving affidavits on educational matters were to be admitted into evidence.  Any potential argument was to be held on Friday 28th January, bringing the reference to a close.

Beginning on 7th February, arguments will be heard by Judge Bauman on the CBC's request for permission to live-stream the closing arguments in this case.  Those final arguments are due to begin on 28th March, and could take up to two weeks to complete.

In view of approaching weekend weather in Vancouver, I chose today, Thursday, to make my return journey to the Okanagan Valley, which has been my home for 40 years.

As and when further news becomes available about the reference, I will let you know.  Until then, I lay down my Netbook.

A 15 year old Bride is Brought into Bountiful

Today we heard anonymous witness #4. She told that court that she was 24 years old, and had been born into the FLDS at Hildale/Colorado City in the United States. She was transferred to Bountiful at the age of 17, married into a plural marriage and has one child now aged five.

In response to questioning from FLDS lawyer Wickett, she continued, “I believe that men and women are sealed for all eternity. I fell in love when I had a dream in which I saw a man's face, and told my father that I wanted to marry. The Prophet asked me if I had anyone in mind, and he turned out to be the man whose face I had seen in the dream. I took it as a revelation from God, and after the marriage ceremony I came to Canada on a student visa. If I had not been allowed to enter this country, I would have gone back to the States. If I had not liked my situation in Bountiful I would have told my mother and my biological sisters, and other members of my family.

I received a Grade 12 Graduation Certificate (from Bountiful), and am now a 3^rd year accounting student in Cranbrook. I want my own business, and I need a work visa to work in Canada. I was the one who decided on this course for myself.

My marriage was made in heaven; I made the right decision and I am happy. There are 24 children in the house. Relations with the children are quite good. If there are disagreements with sister wives, I go off and pray about it, or seek a solution about what we need to do to make it better. We discuss problems with the children, talk about it, remove privileges – there is no violence. We are always bumping shoulders, helping others out.

I have visited several places outside Bountiful, including Vancouver (buildings too tall and too many people), Sundre, Dawson Creek, California, Colorado, Las Vegas (“playing around”). I like the quiet life in a small town. The isolation at Bountiful doesn't bother me. I love to come back to the peace of Bountiful. My future hope is to start a small business.”

When the BCAG counsel began his cross-examination, the questions became much more probing. Her responses were as follows:- “ I have four sister wives to live with. We all live in one house and we talk to each other. We meet each night to go over what happened during the day, about the children, about whether we need to make any changes in our routine, and we go out together on walks, to the park, ice skating and we play basketball. We dress conservatively – covered from neck to ankles. Wives make clothes, and wives know each other as well as they know their own brothers and sisters. We also have friends. We know every sister wife's birthday, (though not too many of the kids' birthdays). We arrange for a cake and gifts for every birthday – a sister wife's or a child's.

The families of sister wives come to visit sometimes, and the wedding anniversary of each sister wife is celebrated.

I had been married six months when a new sister wife came into the family. She was younger than me [sic] – at least two years younger. I found out about the new sister wife during a phone call from my husband. Yes - I had known her while she was growing up, and she came from the U.S. None of the sister wives attending the marriage. I don't know where it took place. The Prophet in the U.S. Performed the marriage; Warren Jeffs is my Prophet.

My husband's new wife was 15 years old. We had talked about a new wife, but age had never been discussed. My husband was in his late 30's or early 40's. I don't know what kind of visa the new sister wife used to get into Canada. She arrived from the U.S. with family members, but I don't know if they gave a letter of permission.”

The witness was then asked if the 15-year-old sister wife went to school, and she replied that the child entered Grade 9 at the Bountiful School.

“Did anyone accompany her to school? Were there any concerns about her age?”

“Not that I was aware of.”

“Did nobody at Bountiful consider this tender age abnormal? Objectionable? Did anyone report it to the outside authorities? Did you have concerns?”

“No. Age was not really an issue. She seemed a very responsible girl. I did not try to sway other people's opinions. Nor did I talk about birth control. As far as reporting the situation about the 15 year old, I don't know if anyone did. I would report harm to another. No-one ever came up to me and said 'I think something bad is happening.' It was God's will.”

“I’d think that if I went away to a foreign country and married a 15-year-old girl and brought her home, I’d expect the police to welcome me, and not a celebration.”

“When was a baby born [to this youngster]?”

“When she was 17 years old.”

[During these exchanges, you could have heard a pin drop in the courtroom.] The witness then declared that the child had no immediate family members at Bountiful.

In answer to further questioning, the witness told us “I learned the identity of my husband half an hour before the ceremony. No other sister wives attended. My husband phoned them afterwards to inform them. When a new wife is being considered, other sister wives do have the right to tell a husband not to go ahead with it. I agree with the change in policy [to 18 years of age at marriage]. I believe it is better than 15 – I guess.”

“Do men or women leave the community to go on to further education in anything except subjects that would benefit the people of the FLDS? Such as midwifery, nursing, teaching, mechanics?”

“No.”

“Without compromising your anonymity, can you tell us if you are equal to your husband? Does he hold a position of status in the FLDS?”

“I am not the equal of my husband. My husband does hold a position of status in the FLDS.”

“I felt great shock when going into the real world. I was shocked by people doing things I didn't agree with. They're not respectful in the classroom. I don't agree that my upbringing has ill-prepared me for going into the outside world. I know how to say no!”

First Anonymous Witness - (Witness #2)

In today's Vancouver Sun, Daphne Bramham wrote:

Witness 2 shocked a polygamy hearing Tuesday when she talked about how she finally agreed to allow her 15-year-old daughter to marry a 19-year-old man.

The reason she didn't attempt to stop it? The marriage was monogamous and the groom was only 19.Two years after the marriage, her daughter left the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The daughter is now 26, still married and the mother of two children.

Witness #2 was the first of three anonymous witnesses testifying for the FLDS in the constitutional reference case to determine the validity of Canada's polygamy law being heard in B.C. Supreme Court.

Had the marriage been a polygamous one, the witness said she would not have consented since the witness herself was married as a second wife at 16.  The witness under cross-examination said she agreed to the monogamous marriage because it was preferable that her 15-year-old daughter married a man close to her own age and who she cared for than an older man who lived in a polygamous community in the United States.

In British Columbia, the legal age of marriage is 18. Anyone under 18 must have parental consent.  Even though it was a monogamous marriage and the girl's parents consented, the couple married in a religious - not a civil - ceremony. The witness refused to say who officiated at the ceremony.

Because of an early ruling guaranteeing FLDS witnesses anonymity so that they can avoid future prosecution, Witness 2 testified in a courtroom where only Chief Justice Robert Bauman, FLDS lawyer Robert Wickett, the clerk and court reporter could see her. Other lawyers and the public only heard her voice as they watched a live feed on a closed circuit television in another courtroom.

Witness 2 told the court that she was raised in a polygamous family in Bountiful, B.C. Her father had five wives, although only three of them and their children shared a house while she was growing up. Still, it was a full house with "30 children approximately" living there at the time.

In her 40s now, she married at 16 to a man chosen by the church's prophet. She became his second wife and a "sister-wife" to her biological sister. At times, the wives have lived in separate houses, but currently their share a home with their husband. Each has her own kitchen and laundry space, but they share the living room, recreation and yard. Both work outside the home.

The witness told the court that she considers her husband to be her "priesthood head," which she explained means that he is "someone of a godly nature."

Asked if she obeys him, she replied: "As long as he is acting in a Christ-like way . . . As far as my relationship with my husband, we are working together as parents in a family to raise our children and share values and goals to raise them in a Christ-like manner."

Read more

 

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 My Comment: 

Most responses  given by Witness 2 were monosyllabic, and there were many silences and long drawn out breathing in her testimony.  Nevertheless, the lawyers were well-prepared and their questions were precise and to the point. We heard confirmation of much of the evidence that former FLDS members had given in their testimony earlier.  We also heard contradictions of that testimony.

One interesting discovery was that, although living in Bountiful, the witness is a member of the Warren Jeffs faction of the FLDS. He is her Prophet, and her family has sent $500 to $1000 regularly to the U.S. legal team defending Jeffs on rape and other charges. Apparently she is remaining loyal to her Prophet.

Some insights into her personality came with candid comments such as "I haven't always treated people with kindness and respect,"  "I have to control my anger," I'm on a path of learning".  (No questions were asked about the source of her anger.)

The witness skirted around the use of the term obey, and used support instead.  And rather than agreeing with earlier ex-FLDS members that obedience was a strict demand of her faith, she added that demands for obedience should be reasonable.  She also seemed to be uncomfortable with questions about the Prophet's relationship with God.  However, she was forthright when declaring that "Birth control is not encouraged in the FLDS."

Witness 2 was on the stand for more than four hours.

 

 

 

Mary Batchelor - Longing to Return to Polygamy

This morning we heard testimony from Mary Batchelor, a member of the independent FLDS. The eldest of seven children, she lived in several areas of the United States before finally settling in Utah. She was baptized at the age of nine into the independent FLDS, and went through the Public School System, graduating from high school.

Two meaningful words in her adolescence were Salvation (through Jesus Christ) and Exaltation (through plural marriage).

She was 21 when she became the second wife of her husband, for they both believed fervently in the plural marriage way of life, the first wife having been in the home since 1989. That sister wife moved out after four years, and Mary found herself alone as the now monogamous and therefore legal wife of her husband. They are still monogamous to this day, although Mary insists that she would dearly love to revert to plural marriage again. She has seven children.

It came to light that, after the first wife left, she had written a strong letter to a newspaper critiquing the polygamous way of life. The Attorney General of Canada read excerpts into the record from Mary's response to the letter – littered with vituperative and denigrating comments.

Mary believes fervently that by entering into plural marriage she would be doing right by God. She asserted that she does not practise assigned marriage, and she is obedient only to her conscience. She chooses to live by the principles she believes in. Two of her children were born during the plural marriage period of her relationship, and all of them are in public school in Utah. (Her daughter Holly has Down Syndrome and heart problems.) Mary said that she has discussed with her children whether the family should revert to a plural marriage situation.

In 2000, during a period of intense public criticism and threats against polygamy, she co-wrote with Anne Wilde a book in defence of plural marriage. Its content was a distillation of comments received from 700 questionnaires that were sent out to women already in a plural marriage. The comments were overwhelmingly in favour of continuing and legalizing the polygamous institution. Mary also co-founded the magazine Principle Voices, which advocates for polygamy education, and she has worked with the government of Utah in efforts to decriminalize polygamy, declaring it to be the exercise of her civil rights.

When the Attorney General for Canada asked her if it was fair that, while a man may take multiple sexual partners in her religion, a woman may take only one man, Mary replied that she had no problem with that.

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For an in-depth portrait of Mary Batchelor link to

The Court is now in recess, and will convene again on Tuesday 25th January.  Next week will be the final full week of testimony, and the schedule at the moment shows that all the witnesses appearing will be members of the FLDS.

Alina Darger - Happy Polygamous Wife

Keith Fraser wrote in the Province newspaper today:-

A polygamous mother from Utah on Wednesday agreed to lift an anonymity order and testify using her name at the polygamy trial in B.C. Supreme Court.

Alina Darger, who has seven children, spoke glowingly of her experiences growing up in a polygamous family and as one of three sister wives to her current husband.  Darger, born in Salt Lake City in 1969, was initially one of a number of fundamentalist Mormons who agreed to testify only if their identities could be shielded.

She said that she had previously done press interviews but when she was offered anonymity to testify, she agreed because it was always a risk to use her name.  “As the case proceeded and as I thought about it more, I felt that this would be just a historic case that may never come up again and an opportunity to present a voice that might not otherwise be heard,” she said.

“So I decided to drop the anonymity.”

Prior to the trial opening in November, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman agreed to allow a number of fundamentalist Mormons to testify without identifying themselves. A number of those unnamed witnesses are to be heard next week.

To date, much of the evidence at trial has indicated that polygamy is associated with harms to individuals, families and society as a whole.  But Darger, who describes herself as an independent fundamentalist Mormon who does not belong to a church, painted a completely different picture of her life.

She said her father had two wives and 32 children, with her own mother having 15 of those kids.

“Growing up, I lived in a plural family and I loved that experience and I thought it was really amazing,” she told the judge.“I always felt like I had somebody close to care for me.”

Court has heard that many polygamous communities have arranged marriages, but Darger said she does not believe in the practice.  She said she and her two sister wives entered their marriages with her husband with free choice.

“From a religious perspective, what role does plural marriage play?” asked lawyer Robert Wickett, who is representing fundamentalist Mormons.  “Obviously it’s a very sacred and deep principle to me,” she replied. “And I believe it with all my heart and I think it makes a better person of me. All of us come together on family holidays and we love one another.”

Darger said she married at the age of 20, the same age as her husband. She was the first wife and thus is legally married. There are 24 kids among the three sister wives, she said.

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My Comment:-

I must say I was surprised to hear a woman telling the court how much she loved her polygamous family, and describing it as 'an amazing experience'.  She did talk of the sacrifice and commitment that polygamy demanded.  But no coercion was involved in her marriage - she made her own choice - and she and her family did not belong to any specific polygamous group.

Two telling points - firstly, the affidavit presented to the Court in her name was written with input from husband and sister wives.  She was able to identify only one passage specifically written by herself.  Secondly, as the first (and therefore legal ) wife, Darger was asked if her name was on the title to her home.  She replied that she wasn't sure but that she thought so.  When asked whether the names of her sister wives were on the title, she paused, somewhat flustered, and said she didn't know.

She assured the Court that she would be able to leave her marriage without difficulty if she so chose.