Polygamists Excluded From British Columbia Meeting
 
By Jennifer Dobner
The Associated Press
KUTV Channel 2
 
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - Four women who support the practice polygamy were denied access to a Thursday meeting between Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and Canadian women's organizations talking with him about the problem of polygamy in Canada.

"It's a bit ironic that they felt they knew better (about polygamy) without anyone present from the community ... ," said Mary Batchelor, executive director of Principle Voices, a Salt Lake City-based pro-polygamy group said.

Batchelor and Anne Wilde, Principle's community relations director, went to the meeting with Ruth Lane and Leah Barlow, both of whom are married to polygamist Winston Blackmore, the leader of Canadian arm of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Neither Batchelor nor Wilde are currently in plural marriages, although they have been in the past.

Shurtleff went to Canada to meet with Wally Oppal, British Columbia's attorney general.

In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Oppal called the midday meeting productive.

"We exchanged a lot of ideas and talked about our respective issues," Oppal said. "Most of all we agreed to meet again and establish a protocol where we can exchange ideas."

Oppal believes there are many areas where his province and Utah authorities can support each other in law enforcement, including assisting in Utah's current civil action against the FLDS church's trust and in addressing the trafficking of women across the U.S. border to enter into plural marriages.

He also said he and Shurtleff are on the same page when it comes to prioritizing a state response to polygamy, focusing on more serious crimes than bigamy.

"The major concern that I have is the sexual assault, abuse and exploitation of women and children," Oppal said. "You can say whatever you want about the morality of plural marriage, but the fact is really what our priority should be is to protect vulnerable people such as women and children."

Of primary concern in British Columbia is Blackmore's FLDS church in the community of Bountiful, near Creston, B.C. The group, which has been in Canada since 1947, numbers about 1,000 and has roots in the neighboring towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Ariz. The church teaches that plural marriage is essential for members' glorification in heaven.

Oppal said a few days ago, he received a letter from the group, inviting him to come to Bountiful to meet with them. He said he has no immediate plans to visit.

"I'd never say never, but at this point there doesn't seem to be a reason," Oppal said.

Several women's groups in Canada have stepped up their interest in polygamy in recent years and invited Shurtleff to a roundtable to talk about how Utah has approached the polygamy problems. Shurtleff's office has tried to open doors with the Utah polygamists to better understand their needs and to ensure that when crimes occur, sect members feel comfortable getting help from law enforcement.

Shurtleff has also worked closely with Batchelor and Wilde to develop a manual for Utah's social service and law enforcement that helps the understand polygamist culture. He left a copy of the manual with Oppal.

But none from Bountiful were invited the roundtable, and Batchelor said she felt it important that the polygamist point of view be part of the discussion. The four women were allowed to talk with roundtable participants after Shurtleff left, Batchelor said.

Mary Plant, chairwoman for the Vancouver chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women, which planned the roundtable, said the meeting room size limited the number of people who could attend Thursday.

Plant said the group plans to meet with the women from Bountiful at a later date.

"We made sure they knew we are available as a resource," said Batchelor, adding that some at the roundtable appeared to be anti-polygamy. "I think the majority of them are really there because they care about people. They want to do things that are helpful."

Lane, who is a U.S. citizen but seeking residency in Canada, said she was initially angry about being shut out of the meeting, but thinks in the end the conversation with the women's groups was positive.

"We made some new contacts and that's good," said Lane, who has six children with Blackmore. "I feel like we got a foot in the door. I hope we can get it open a bit."

In addition to the women's groups and Oppal, Shurtleff met with the staff at the U.S. Consulate, whom he said were well-versed in some of the issues.

He says he's happy to share what Utah has learned with British Columbia.

"They are lots behind and that's why they are wanting to figure out how they can take what we've done and build on it," Shurtleff said. "This is good."

Shurtleff said the dialogue with Oppal mirrors his conversations with Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, who has recently moved to put Colorado City's school in receivership and has indicted FLDS leader Warren Jeffs, now a fugitive, for sex crimes.
 
KUTV.com
Originally published December 8, 2005
 
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