If the parent has not been deemed unfit, the child will go where the parents go - that is the law and it is a good one. The government does not get to decide what is best for the child - the parent does.
Actually, depending on the age of the child and the information obtained in discovery the lawyer for the CHILD (not the parents) can ASK for the child to remain in foster care for the best interest of the child. It doesn't mean that the JUDGE will agree, but the child's lawyer can take the request/preference of the child under consideration when going to court. The lawyer is SUPPOSED to be the CHILD's LAWYER, not the parent's (they have their OWN lawyer).
And if the child would be returned to an ENVIRONMENT where previous abuse has been proven OR the child would/could be endangered by the collective and cooperative "group" also living in the same place OR could be exposed to persons who are known abusers ANYWHERE within the organization at ANY TIME - the courts may NOT allow the parents to just take the child anywhere or live in a communal situation with other (known or unknown) members of such an organization. This will probably end up being defined as kids being placed at RISK of condoned and approved ABUSE by a GROUP of people who cannot be controlled by the parents. The KIDS are NOT BEING PROTECTED - by ORDER of the organization. It isn't a situation where you have ONE ABUSER or offender - but a collective and organized GROUP of offenders who either participate in abuse or cannot or refuse to protect their children from the abusers.
Think of it like returning a school of children to an island where there are ONLY 100 adults who have been involved or have participated (or facilitated) previous abuse, rape and torture/mistreatment of children in their care. Even if the group contains their parents and the parents are NOT proven to be abusers personally and certainly FREE to live there, they cannot be permitted to take their children with them if they chose to keep residing with and near OTHER abusers....because these parents APPROVE of such abuses and do NOT find the others in the organization objectionable OR abusive does NOT give them the right to expose their kids to such and environment. And we already know that evidently parents in this group are interchangeable - what's to keep the approved parents from leaving their children with someone else and going off to live elsewhere for a year or two? Without oversight the kids end up right back where they started - with the COURTS's approval this time.
We cannot apply any previous known logic or standards to THIS CASE. This is like trying to corral the wind - it isn't going to be easy, if even possible. This isn't domestic abuse or even one or two endangered children in a single family home with one abuser and an absent/unsuitable mother. This is literally over 425 kids of all ages possible abused by a COLLECTIVE of ADULTS including the cooperation of their parental figures and encouraged by the LEADERSHIP of the group. These families live under the constant OVERSIGHT of Men who ENFORCE ABUSE at every level - of women and of children. The women have NO CONTROL, no education, no income and no escape. The can't just drive away and remove themselves or their children from the abuse because they are monitored 24/7/365 - and housed in a remote place where privacy, phone calls and all communication is controlled by OTHERS. We already know that even the vehicles the women are allowed access to are kept with very little fuel - so as to "prevent" escape from the compound.
Oh yeah, I think we should just give all those "innocent" parents "free will" to take those kiddies wherever they want. Sorry - in THIS CASE NO!
I am all for PARENT'S RIGHTS and their rights to educate and parent their children in their faith or belief system - so LONG AS THE CHILDREN ARE NOT ABUSED or passed around like party hats. Systematic ABUSE and an environment of ABUSE by OTHERS (not the parents) is NOT NEGOTIABLE for ANY CHILD! Regardless of what the parents believe.
My Opinion
