While this is a heartbreaking story, it is hardly earthshaking. Read about Maple Syrup Urine Disease, literally ALL of the people affected live in Lancaster, PA. If you want to read further try Tay-Sachs, and others. Sure this is the very reason we don't marry cousins but to wave this around like it deserves special attention is curious. Sure this is why we have judges authorize marriage certificates and this IS the foundation of governmental involvement in approval of marriage but in an era where most children are born “out of wedlock” it strikes me as folks clamoring about this are raising the alarm after the cows are out of the barn. The real issue is death of marriage as one man one woman and castigating polygamists isn't going to advance that goal. 20 complete care children is a family tragedy, but hardly the Medicaid crippling burden the authors would like to suggest.
The problem is these polygamists have rejected society and it's norms and some of us think by “being outraged” we can get society to recognize there are reasons for social norms. Good luck. We have a better chance of dealing with illegitimacy and poverty directly than by fighting a “proxy war”.