CPS vs. the Family: The State of Parental Rights in Light of the Texas Polygamy Case

In April of 2008, Texas authorities raided the YFZ Ranch, owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), removing 462 children from their parents. The raid was prompted by an unsubstantiated anonymous tip by a 33-year-old Colorado woman who falsely claimed to be an underage minor being abused at the ranch. The story garnered huge media coverage and represented one of the most egregious cases in U.S. history of Child Protective Services violating parental rights.

In this message, attorney Don Hart provides an overview of the FLDS episode as well as that of the McMartin Preschool Abuse case of 1983, offering key insights into CPS's unconstitutional and manipulative tactics, which include entering homes without a search warrant, giving false information to children to skew their testimony toward a specific outcome, and trampling on parents' rights to achieve what CPS believes is in the ''best interest of the child.'' A sobering and informative look at the state of parental rights in America.