The Polygamy Paradox

A jury is about to deliberate in the trial of the Utah polygamist, which pits the state's interest in protecting children against his claim to religious freedom

Douglas C. Pizac / Pool / Getty

Warren Jeffs watches the proceedings during his trial on September 18, 2007, in St. George, Utah.

It was hard to listen to Jane Doe IV describe her marriage without hearing the sounds of a terrible crime. She recalled on the witness stand the moment when her new husband began undressing her. She begged that he not touch her. "'I can't do this. Please don't,'" she remembered saying. "I was sobbing. My whole entire body was shaking, and I was so scared ... He just laid me onto the bed and had sex. It hurt," she said. "And I felt evil." Later, she went into the bathroom, swallowed the contents of a couple of bottles of over-the-counter pain...

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