The State does have a monopoly on coercion.

However, I am increasingly disturbed by the way the state of Texas is handling this matter. The wholesale rounding up and de facto incarceration of hundreds of women and children - none of whom have been individually accused of any crime - is very troublesome.

And the matter moves to a whole new level of disturbing in my mind with word that the state now plans to impose across-the-board DNA testing on these women and children, without parental consent (meaning, the mothers have no choice in the matter), after which ALL THE CHILDREN, including nursing babies and toddlers, will immediately be separated from their mothers.

And in response to criticism over this despicable plan, the judge who is allowing it had only this to say: “But every day in this country, we have mothers who go back to work after six weeks of maternity leave.”

Look, precipitously separating a young child - particularly a nursing baby - from her mother is in itself abusive. So the justification for doing it by the state better be that that particular child is at risk of imminent, provable harm from that particular parent. The standard should be very, very high when making such a radical decision.

This is truly beginning to smack of religious persecution, especially when you compare the treatment of these families with the way children are routinely left in abusive and severely neglectful home environments all over this country by child protective services workers - all in the name of family preservation.

Unlike working with a corporation, these people have no choice. They must abide by the states demands.

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