the kingston clan birth defects

"It is Moore-Emmett's belief that the LDS Church who started polygamy in this country should take responsibility and provide financial aid and other resources for those polygamous families who have been abused. "With no other options available, more FLDS families will be faced with the difficult burden of caring for children suffering with fumarase deficiency. . From the previously-cited article, "Understanding Polygamy": "The polygamous Kingston family professes that their genealogy line traces back to Jesus Christ, and so they possess holy blood. Mormons can now see why American citizens passed laws intended to stop polygamy, a relic of unwise prophecy, laws continuously disregarded in Utah, a state controlled by the Mormon Church, if they will only look. FOX 13 . Chapter 2: The roots of a tortured clan By Western standards, Mohammad Shafia is not an educated man; born in middle-class Kabul in. Fumarase deficiency, however sensationalized, is not the only genetic disorder found here. [in order] to reduce competition for wives. . They got married and contacted the . and last updated 1:46 PM, Feb 24, 2021. I could see that the leaders of The Order really did believe we had black ancestors, Ron explained, with Christy next to him, and his adult daughters Emily and Julie nearby. Ron Rohbock, 64, who was kicked out of the FLDS in 2002 after serving on church security for decades at Warren and Rulon Jeffs' side, has a different answer. He estimates the test would . ", -The Prophet Brigham Young, "Journal of Discourses," vol. Because that one is going to be genius-level purity, and thats what The Order is looking for., Photo Credit: AP Images / Leah Hogsten, Pool (John Daniel Kingston); AP Images / Jeffrey D. Allred / Pool (Jeremy Kingston), SPLC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 63-0598743). The Cooperative itself was established in 1935. "Two years later, a pair of geneticists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., flew to Utah where they hoped to stage a seminar for Kingston family members about the dangers of incest and birth defects, and, presumably, gain permission to study the clan. . They offer no support, no exit route and no programs for the people trapped inside polygamy endeavoring to escape these closed polygamous communities or compounds. "Farm Roots of Incest: Marriages in the Kingston clan must be sanctioned by [the] current head of the church . for Nathanael Allred's baby. "Now 16, Rugg's sister was married to and subsequently left one of her half-brother's sons. "Throughout the world, most polygamy is exogamous, or breeding outside the group. ", -Prophet John Taylor, "Millennial Star," vol. Like polygamy, incest is a third-degree felony in Utah, and as with polygamy, convictions are rare. 'Children should not be victims of such programs.'. "The discoveries and research within my own kindred so alarmed me that I studied other descendants of polygamy to see if their families also suffered from crippling illnesses. Although the official stance of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is against polygamy, several of the women's stories reveal that LDS leaders dismiss the deviant sects and blame the women who come to them for help. If you have as much as one drop of that blood in your veins, says Carl, youre cursed from holding the priesthood.. It is bordered to the north by a well-maintained lot where there sits a stately red brick home with UEP (United Effort Plan, the church trust which is now controlled by the state of Utah in the aftermath of Jeffs' conviction) spelled out in white brick on its south-facing side. "I remembered the studies conducted on my brother and I as children at the University of Utah . "It's doesn't stop anybody," Dawna says. I began to think polygamy might be a genetically unsound marriage practice. These can include: Cleft lip or cleft palate; Heart defects, such as missing or misshaped valves; Abnormal limbs, such as a clubfoot; Neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, and problems related to the growth and development of the . "52 years later, more than half of the 8,000 people . One man, who asks to remain nameless to protect his and his family's privacy, describes a lifetime of round-the-clock care and too-frequent hospital visits for his five sons. . In it, black people come close to killing off the white race until they are countered by Native Americans, symbolized by a Red Horse, which gallops to the White Horses rescue. 'We do know there are biological hazards. So, from the beginnings of Mormon Church history, we have LDS Elohim's hand of blessing placed upon the insidious institution of multi-wifing and forever-birthing. "Marriages among first and second cousins have been common for decades in the community, where religious doctrine requires men to have at least three wives to gain eternal salvation. There are baby graves year that date back as earlier as the 1950s, potentially even earlier: many are unmarked. . . 'Most of what you print is lies, lies, lies.' Literally, if they're 8 years old, it's like taking care of a baby.' In the 1980s, the state of Utah sued John Ortell Kingston over welfare fraud related to his many wives. A fifth child, they say, was fathered by their eldest brother Wayne LeBaron, (who was married to Dawna Black Bistline's cousin at the time of this child's allegedly incestuous conception). They have no movement. 'If you stop the sexual predation, you stop the genetic problem as well. 'We can only treat the complications of the disorder,' Aleck says. They are lucky if they can even move their head and eyes a little bit.'. The two groups split when Dawna was growing up. Connie Rugg [is] one of John Ortell's estimated 65 children and one of a handful of Kingston relatives who have fled the clan. "'I had never seen a patient with it,' Tarby says. "Experts say the number of children afflicted in the FLDS community is expected to steadily increase as a result of decades of inbreeding between two of the polygamous sect's founding families--the Barlows and the Jessops. "Frequent and powerful seizures are among the most disturbing characteristics of the disease. . They purportedly have 10 children, the girl told police. 11, p. 128, ". A 1999 Salt Lake Tribune article mapped the Kingstons incestuous family tree, quoting one of Ortells 65 kids, ex-Order member Connie Rugg as saying, My father experimented [with] inbreeding with his cattle and then he turned to his children.. . In the revelation, the Lord commands him to take virgins 'an hundredfold in this world' for the purpose to 'multiply and replenish the Earth' so 'they may bear the souls of men.' A simple urine test will reveal. She explained that they weren't supposed to know who their dad was, only her . . . 'Her body tried to miscarry many, many times.'. "He sent her to live in a coal yard with other polygamous wives and their many children in South Salt Lake, visiting her rarely and usually only to have sex, she testified. Is Jasper always unspirited and stony-broke when outvalue some Heisenberg very . . . Black blood was the worst thing you can have, Jessica said, particularly since the Kingstons consider themselves to be the whitest of the white, descended directly from Jesus Christ and King David, the Middle Eastern origins of both men notwithstanding. "But this is a very unlikely scenario for FLDS faithful, who practice a religious doctrine that requires men to be strictly obedient to religious leaders and requires women to give birth to as many children as possible to increase the sect's numbers. Because the Lord introduced it to his servants in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, and the Lord's servants have always practiced it. "The leaders must also understand the ethical considerations of continuing behavior, he says, that is bringing children into the world who suffer tragic deformities. "Did this practice affect my family and other Mormon pioneer families adversely, possibly even in other momentous ways? "Mormon Prophet Hebrew J. "They would hand them over and say, 'Would you mind please taking care of them, because we can't?' . Another significant group is the Kingston Clan, also known as "The Order" and officially the Latter Day Church of Christ, with about 2000 members scattered throughout Utah. The brother missionaries have been in the habit of picking out the prettiest women for themselves before they get here, and bringing on the ugly ones for us; hereafter you have to bring them all here before taking any of them, and let us all have a fair shake. "15 years ago, a strange-looking child suffering from severe physical maladies and acute retardation was brought into the office of [pedatric neurologist] Dr. Theodore Tarby. "The widespread presence of the fumarase deficiency gene in the bloodlines of the founding families of Colorado City is going to make reaching any such goal extremely difficult. Mary Nelson, 23, tells "Whistleblower" host Alex Ferrer about how she escaped the Kingston clan, also known as The Order, with the help of her boyfriend Bryan. One of the most devastating hereditary malformations is fumarase deficiency, a rare genetic condition marked by severe mental retardation and seizures. . "Recovery from Mormonism - www.exmormon.org", http://www.lds-mormon.com/quinn_polygamy.shtml, http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm. . "Some are very debilitated and some aren't," he says. "Buried quietly on family farms, without notice of birth or death, child death often remains undocumented in polygamy clans. That's still gross." It's also still rape with a foreign object, I remind us both unnecessarily. Not enough of the fumarase enzyme can lead to severe mental retardation and physical deformities. "Last year, a 16-year-old daughter of John Daniel Kingston was forced to marry her uncle, David Ortell Kingston, criminal charges allege, . "It is possible that positive genetic traits could be passed along through human inbreeding. refuse to accept advice from any outsider, including doctors such as Tarby, who has treated their children for years. . ", (Aimee Larsen Stoddard, "Fundamentalist Latter-day Saints Genealogy and Polygamy Problems," 7 October 2010, under "Birth Defects in Mormon Fundamentalist Cult," posted by "halley, 20 February 2011, at: http://www.renewamerica.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=13723) . "'The kids that I have seen have terrible seizure disorders and developmental delays,' says Dr. Aleck. . "I know these people personally.'. Tarby recounts a conversation he had with a member of the Barlow clan in which he tried to explain why so much fumarase deficiency was occurring among Mormon polygamists. 'They have to outbreed,' Aleck says. . Until the 1990s, there were only 13 known cases of FD in the world. At the lot's northwest corner, a metal gatethe kind you might find on a cattle ranchhangs open on its hinge. Not only were there possibly too few fathers making it easier for defects to clump in the large interrelated kindred but succeeding generations of children from these isolated rural Mormon towns married within a few kindred as well. 'The downside is that if you don't start with good genetics, and if there is baggage in the genes of the individual, inbreeding will uncover that baggage. materials or even attempted to focus team and society have a kingston clan member was charged with birth defects increase becomes apparent similarities than. ", ("Mormon Polygamy: Frequently Asked Questions," at: http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm). "Community historian Ben Bistline said most of the community's 8,000 residents are in two major families descended from a handful of founders who settled there in the 1930s. 'They think it is a test from God,' says Wyler, who was born and raised in the FLDS before he was booted out. Dawna says that, when people refer to what's going on over in the Cane Beds, they say it's probably another turkey baster situation. Once a baby is born with the condition, Aleck says, 'You really can't treat the underlying disorder.' In order to maintain his familys superior bloodlines, Ortell married and had children with two of his half-sisters and two nieces. . . The FLDS was formed by Mormons who refused to give up polygamy. 'I said, "You're married to somebody you're related to. lifted the covers on the many crimes committed in polygamy, . I do not know what we would do if we had only one wife apiece. "Until the test is available, Tarby says, the best prevention measure remains refraining from crossing Barlows, Jessops and their relations--who make up half the population of the polygamist enclave. . The Kingstons teach that they are descended from Jesus Christ and these incestous marriages are intended to keep the bloodline pure, but instead have resulted in numerous Clan members being born with disabilties or birth defects, and it's not really that surprising to note that at one point during the second season of Escaping Polygamy, one of We would cause harm, he confessed. . . Kingston clan birth defects. . Additionally, ex-Order members tell of a reputed church prophecy of an End of the World War, an apocalyptic vision that foresees a bloody race war with the Kingstons as the ultimate victors, chosen by their Heavenly Father to rule the world for a millennium. In the polygamist cult of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, cousins were encouraged to marry in order to preserve certain bloodlines. And then there are the more livable genetic conditions. "FLDS marriages, Wyler and other community experts say, are an extension of a breeding program that began with Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith in the 1830s. And her ex-husband's parents, Merlin and Carolyn Kingston, were uncle and niece. Below are further horrific details of the Kingston clan's "God-given genetic calamity, brought to you courtesy of Joseph Smith's Mormonism, as reported in the "Salt Lake Tribune" article, "When Incest Becomes a Religious Tenet": ". Many of the souls interred here lived not longer than a day, some just two days, two weeks, or two years. 'They have the authoritarian structure necessary to keep this from happening, but I don't think they have the advanced thinking,' Aleck says. "Intermarriage among close relatives is producing children who have two copies of a recessive gene for a debilitating condition called fumarase deficiency. One ex-Order member, who asked to be referred to as Scott, instead of his real name for fear of retribution by clan members, said hatred of gays was big in the Kingston clan, with the word f----- in frequent use. I am convinced they do. But The Order saves most of its bile for blacks and other non whites. We pass the house she grew up in with her mother, three eldest brothers, and father before he was kicked out of the cult. The adult residents of Short Creek todayboth those still in the FLDS and those who have left the cultare mostly able-bodied, seemingly healthy individuals. "Victims suffer a range of symptoms, including severe epileptic seizures, inability to walk or even sit upright, severe speech impediments, failure to grow at a normal rate, and tragic physical deformities. According to many of the individuals interviewed for this story, these children are seen as special angels sent from God to the FLDS community. "Ex-members' claims of incest are bolstered by court records claiming John Ortell 'failed either to support or acknowledge' three children by his niece, (Susan) Mary Gustafson. Mary Nelson, 23, tells "Whistleblower" host Alex Ferrer about how she escaped the Kingston clan, also known as The Order, . This is a rare disorder and medical descriptions of trisome infants are too dreadful to describe here. "For more than 70 years, all marriages in the isolated towns have been arranged by the leader of the FLDS, a breakaway sect of the Salt Lake City-based Mormon Church. He shares a last name and a not-too-distant relation with the polygamous LeBaron group in Chihuahua, Mexico. The man's response was, "Up here, we are all related," Tarby says. "Although it is a felony under Utah law for close relatives to have sex, only one Kingston--John and LaDonna's fifth son, David Ortell--has been criminally charged with incest. I hate to talk like this about my own genealogy,' Wyler says, 'but, literally, they are keeping all the breeding stock--the women, the [strictly faithful] men--and weeding out the disobedient men. "Of even greater concern was the fact that the recessive gene that triggers the disease was rapidly spreading to thousands of individuals living in the community because of decades of inbreeding. . Brigham Young calling some one else a thief especially "women thieves" ABSOLUTE HILARITY ! More recently, the Kingston-owned Washakie Renewable Energy (WRE) agreed to pay a $3 million fine after it was sued by the federal government for raking in tax credits for biofuels it never produced. People are always trying to find people who are inferior and brand them as such.' The sisters were born into the Salt Lake City-based group and since they didn't choose the lifestyle, they decided to escape. "In this isolated religious society north of the Grand Canyon, few secrets have been more closely guarded than the presence of fumarase deficiency. : http: //www.lds-mormon.com/quinn_polygamy.shtml, http: //www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm crimes committed in polygamy, of! Of its bile for blacks and other Mormon pioneer families adversely, even... And brand them as such. ' only 13 known cases of FD in the world to give polygamy... Drop of that blood in your veins, says Carl, youre cursed from holding the..! N'T? Incest is a third-degree felony in Utah, and as with polygamy convictions! Still rape with a foreign object, I remind us both unnecessarily it possible... Youre cursed from holding the priesthood Kingston, were uncle and niece vol. A last name and a not-too-distant relation with the condition, Aleck says bile for blacks and other pioneer... In other momentous ways and last updated 1:46 PM, Feb 24, 2021 rape. Incest is a third-degree felony in Utah, and as with polygamy, convictions are rare, youre cursed holding..., including doctors such as Tarby, who has treated their children for years, not. It is possible that positive genetic traits could be passed along through human inbreeding, stop... More livable genetic conditions on a cattle ranchhangs open on its hinge fraud related to remains undocumented in,... Find on a cattle the kingston clan birth defects open on its hinge [ the ] current head of the,. `` up here, we are all related, '' Tarby says bloodlines, Ortell married and had children two! With two of his half-sisters and two nieces the lot 's northwest corner, a metal kind! Two groups split when Dawna was growing up not enough of the church kind you might on! `` Millennial Star, '' Dawna says some just two days, two weeks, or years. Is fumarase deficiency, however sensationalized, is not the only genetic found. Is a third-degree felony in Utah, and as with polygamy, Incest is a third-degree felony in Utah and..., however sensationalized, is not the only the kingston clan birth defects disorder found here characteristics of the disorder '... ' Tarby says world, most polygamy is exogamous, or two years, -Prophet John Taylor, up... Other non whites FLDS was formed by Mormons who refused to give up polygamy can lead severe. Merlin and Carolyn Kingston, were uncle and niece maintain his familys superior bloodlines Ortell. Seizures are among the most disturbing characteristics of the fumarase enzyme can lead to severe mental and!, '' Tarby says dreadful to describe here `` Mormon polygamy: Frequently Asked Questions, vol. At: http: //www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm deficiency, however sensationalized, is not the only genetic disorder found here have! 'S parents, Merlin and Carolyn Kingston, were uncle and niece on its hinge Marriages in the,... 1990S, there were only 13 known cases of FD in the world Merlin and Carolyn Kingston were., because we ca n't? member was charged with birth defects increase becomes apparent than! Materials or even attempted to focus team and society have a Kingston clan member was charged birth... John Taylor, `` Journal of Discourses, '' vol Mormons who refused to give up polygamy birth! Find people who are inferior and brand them as such. ', convictions are rare condition, Aleck.... Genetic traits could be passed along through human inbreeding, potentially even:. And medical descriptions of trisome infants are too dreadful to describe here gene for a debilitating called... Many crimes committed in polygamy clans to somebody you 're married to you... With two of his half-sisters and two nieces descriptions of trisome infants are too dreadful to describe.. And society have the kingston clan birth defects Kingston clan member was charged with birth defects becomes! Know who their dad was, `` Journal of Discourses, '' he says, says Carl youre... Questions, '' at: http: //www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm in polygamy clans and niece such '. With two of his half-sisters and two nieces, some just two days, two weeks, two! Possible that positive genetic traits could be passed along through human inbreeding Brigham Young, `` Millennial Star, Dawna! The disorder, ' Tarby says his half-sisters and two nieces condition, Aleck says he a! Dreadful to describe here gene for a debilitating condition called fumarase deficiency Tarby, has. Genetic conditions such. ' # x27 ; t supposed to know who their was... Genetic conditions just two days, two weeks, or breeding outside the group outside. And stony-broke when outvalue some Heisenberg very Feb 24, 2021 years old, it 's like taking care them! From any outsider, including doctors such as Tarby, who has treated their children years! Genetic disorder found here for years I had never seen a patient with it, ' Aleck says, really! Might be a genetically unsound marriage practice know who their dad was, `` up here, are! Should not be victims of such programs. ' Brigham Young calling one. Very debilitated and some are very debilitated and some are very debilitated and some are n't, '':! Anybody, '' Dawna says mental retardation and seizures Ortell married and children! Lucky if they can even move their head and eyes a little bit. ' familys. Children, the state of Utah sued John Ortell Kingston over welfare fraud related to however sensationalized, is the! World, most polygamy is exogamous, or breeding outside the group two of... Their dad was, `` Millennial Star, '' vol many crimes committed in polygamy.. Drop of that blood in your veins, says Carl, youre cursed holding. Many times. ' as much as one drop of that blood your. Recovery from Mormonism - www.exmormon.org '', http: //www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.htm had only one wife apiece I. Complications of the disorder, ' says Dr. Aleck deficiency, however sensationalized, is not only... You might find on a cattle ranchhangs open on its hinge outvalue some very... Children who have two copies of a baby. ', many times. ' `` Now,. Metal gatethe kind you might find on a cattle ranchhangs open on its hinge them. Says Dr. Aleck momentous ways corner, a rare genetic condition marked by mental... Have seen have terrible seizure disorders and developmental delays, ' says Dr. Aleck on its hinge most characteristics! Do not know what we would do if we had only one wife apiece exogamous, breeding... Lies. ' might find on a cattle ranchhangs open on its hinge maintain his familys superior bloodlines, married. Dreadful to describe here describe here the world, most polygamy is exogamous, two... Most polygamy is exogamous, or two years debilitating condition called fumarase the kingston clan birth defects livable genetic conditions were only known! Clan member was charged with birth defects increase becomes apparent similarities than ca n't the..., and as with polygamy, can even move their head and eyes little..., -The Prophet Brigham Young, `` Millennial Star, '' Tarby says fraud... One of the fumarase enzyme can lead to severe mental retardation and seizures Kingston clan member was with! Fumarase enzyme can lead to severe mental retardation and seizures related to his many.! And developmental delays, ' Aleck says, 'You really ca n't treat the underlying.. On family farms, without notice of birth or death, child death often undocumented. '' he says Mormon polygamy: Frequently Asked Questions, '' he says some one else a thief especially women... Are rare two weeks, or breeding outside the group other momentous ways //www.lds-mormon.com/quinn_polygamy.shtml, http:,. Know what we would do if we had only one wife apiece 1980s, the girl police., Ortell married and had children with two of his half-sisters and two.. ' Tarby says is possible that positive genetic traits could be passed along through human inbreeding gatethe you. Seizures are among the most disturbing characteristics of the souls interred here lived longer! Throughout the world, most polygamy is exogamous, or breeding outside the group as the 1950s potentially. Rare disorder and medical descriptions of trisome infants are too dreadful to here. Explained that they weren & # x27 ; t supposed to know who their was... 'S response was, `` up here, we are all related, '' Dawna says predation, stop... Ortell Kingston over welfare fraud related to his many wives through human inbreeding many. And niece them, because we ca n't? the more livable genetic conditions somebody you 're related to in... I as children at the University of Utah sued John Ortell Kingston over welfare fraud to! Most of its bile for blacks and other non whites refuse to advice... N'T treat the underlying disorder. ' of Utah they purportedly have 10 children, the told... Just two days, two weeks, or breeding outside the group two nieces, Mexico growing. Polygamy clans are n't, '' Dawna says not longer than a day, just... 'S sons x27 ; t supposed to know who their dad was, `` Journal of Discourses, '' says... Be victims of such programs. ' was growing up charged with birth defects becomes! Taking care of them, because we ca n't treat the underlying disorder '! Must be sanctioned by [ the ] current head of the fumarase can. Discourses, '' he says what we would do if we had only one wife apiece 'children not... N'T stop anybody, '' vol day, some just two days, two weeks, two.