But that should not prevent Texas Child Protective Services from identifying parents, said Lynn Jorde, a professor of human genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

"My intuition is it's not going to cause serious problems," Jorde said.

Added Arthur L. Beaudet, chairman of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine: "DNA studies should be able to answer all questions quite readily except for distinguishing parents who might be identical twins."

A Texas judge Friday ordered DNA testing of children taken into state custody earlier this month after a raid on the YFZ Ranch, owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She also ordered their parents to give DNA samples.

Judge Barbara Walther determined after a two-day hearing that all the children are in immediate danger of physical or sexual abuse because the sect's parents support a polygamous lifestyle and "spiritual unions" between their underage daughters and older men.

During the hearing, a CPS investigator said it has been tough to link children to parents because they've been trained to evade questions about relationships and use "mother" to address all their father's wives.

Jorde is somewhat familiar with the FLDS community - the YFZ Ranch is comprised of transplants from the Utah-Arizona border region.

He said the Texas officials studying their DNA samples may have to look at more genetic information than is usually required to determine parentage.

Yet, Jorde said, "There is still a fair amount of genetic variation among these people. They are not so close we can't tell them apart at the genetic level."

During last week's court hearing, CPS investigations supervisor Angie Voss said some women were reluctant to disclose their own names or used different names each time they were asked.

The testimony of one of the FLDS mothers, Merilyn Jeffs, illustrated her point. While 29-year-old Jeffs readily answered attorneys' questions about her education, she hesitated when asked about marriage ceremonies and couldn't tell attorneys when or how old her sisters were when they married or had babies.

The FLDS, like other fundamentalist Mormons, are reluctant to disclose family relationships because doing so exposes them to prejudice and worse, said William John Walsh, a scholar who testified for the parents during the hearing. "Generally they are good, honest, decent people. But when they are in danger of jail, they won't tell what they think."

Another FLDS mother, who has two daughters in state custody, said mothers and children did not intentionally confuse CPS workers at the shelters.

"It's just like in any society in America," said Amy, 41, during an interview at the ranch. "We have marriages, divorces, deaths and leaving within those relationships. A mother might have been in two or three relationships and a child may be confused about what name to give."

Some children may use their fathers' last names, while others may use their mothers' maiden name, she said. And some women may have been unsure whether to identify themselves by given names or those of their husbands, she said.

Amplifying the name confusion is this: Most every person in the FLDS community can trace his or her family lines back to four original founders - John Y. Barlow, Leroy S. Johnson and Richard and Fred Jessop. Those surnames, along with Jeffs, Keate and Steed, dominate the community today.

"We have five Martha Steeds," Voss said during the hearing. Children described their homes as having "a father with lots of mothers . . . all children in the home were brothers and sisters. It got very confusing."

Indeed, it's a hallmark of plural families that all are considered family, several FLDS members said Sunday.

"It's difficult to explain all of this to people who don't understand our way of living," said Amy, who plans to give a DNA sample next week.

Richard Jessop, whose seven children are in state custody, said he, too, would give a DNA sample.

"I still don't understand why they need to do it," he said Sunday. "But I'm ready to do whatever I have to do to help them clean up their mess."

The mess, Voss said, is of the parents' own making.

She rebuffed attorneys who pressed her to believe women who have certified birth certificates, Social Security numbers and income tax returns as proof of name and age.

Voss said the state can't rely on such documents yet because they might be forged, and the judge agreed.

"How do you know, in today's world of identity theft, a birth certificate is proof of who they are?" the judge asked one woman's attorney.

Submitting to the DNA tests has broad implications for the parents, who could face criminal prosecution later.

The Texas Family Code will allow CPS to share what it learns about the parents' DNA with law enforcement, said Jack Marr, a 25-year family law attorney and president of the nonprofit Texas Family Law Foundation. If a parent defied the judge's order, he or she could be fined or jailed, he said.

Walter Bugden, a Salt Lake City attorney representing FLDS prophet Warren S. Jeffs in a Utah criminal case, said he expects parents' Texas attorneys to appeal any attempt to turn over the DNA evidence to prosecutors.

Bugden said he doesn't know whether Jeffs, who has children in state custody, is listed as a parent.

In a criminal case, parents would have a right to argue against DNA testing for lack of probable cause, and they could argue the tests violate a constitutional right to privacy, he said.

"People are going to be forced to make a decision about Fourth Amendment rights or 'Do I want my baby?' " Bugden said. "Their loyalty is not to Warren Jeffs or to the FLDS. Their loyalty is to their babies."

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Once DNA samples have been taken from the children, they will be placed in foster care, Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Shari Pulliam wrote in an e-mail. The focus, she said, is "finding placements that best fit the special psychological needs of the children."

CPS will try to keep siblings together as well as underage mothers with their children.

"We are being very careful to find settings that do not expose the children to mainstream culture too quickly," Pulliam said.

Individual plans will be created for each child, she said, outlining each child's educational, health-care and counseling needs. "We realize this is going to be a challenge because of their unique situation."