| Attorney General wants RCMP update on polygamous community | |
| CBC News - British Columbia | |
Attorney General Wally Oppal says he's concerned about the high rate of teen pregnancies in the polygamous community of Bountiful in southeastern B.C. According to documents obtained by CBC News under the Freedom of Information Act, 69 babies were born to teenaged mothers in Bountiful between 1986 and 2004 – several times the provincial average. The documents also show some of the mothers were as young as 16, and a quarter of the fathers were a decade or more older. Oppal says he plans to meet with the RCMP as early as next week to get an update on their investigation into possible criminal activity in the community. "And we've been concerned from two perspectives – a civil matter, which is what you've raised, which is the welfare of the women and children – and also the criminal matter." After repeated complaints by anti-polygamy groups, in 2004 the RCMP in nearby Creston resumed their investigation in Bountiful. The attorney general says the police have assigned more officers to try to find witnesses. But he says it's proving difficult. "The investigation starts and then it comes to a grinding halt because they're not getting any co-operation. And then we prevail upon the police to see if they can conduct a further investigation, and then they go out and the trail gets hot and it gets cold." Health Minister George Abbott says he doesn't know of any health problems in the tiny community. But he says he does have "generalized concerns" about the high rate of teen pregnancies in Bountiful. | |
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CBC.ca Originally published March 8, 2006 | |
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