Last week, Josh Duggar was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison in connection with his earlier conviction on child pornography charges.
While most of his family members were not in attendance at the sentencing hearing, several Duggars showed up to support Josh, including his long-suffering wife, Anna.
Anna wrote letters to the judge begging for a lenient sentence, and insiders say she remains convinced of her husband’s innocene.
Despite rumors that Anna will divorce Josh as a result of the verdict, it appears that for now, at least, she’s standing by her man.
But that doesn’t mean that the mother of seven hasn’t considered other options.
“She’s not the type to look for or even consider starting a new life with another man, but there are plenty of upstanding, religious men in the church who would appreciate and take care of a woman like Anna,” a source close to the situation tells In Touch.
“There’s a lot of sympathy for her.”
The insider added that while Anna “doesn’t consider divorce an option,” she “has thought about” legal separation from Josh.
It’s possible that she contemplated the move for financial reasons, or that she briefly saw the light and realized that she’s married to a man who has been engaging in predatory behavior for most of his life.
Whatever the case, it seems that Anna has now decided against pursuing a legal separation from her depraved husband.
Insiders have indicated that in the wake of news that Josh will be locked up for at least a decade, Anna has decided to move in with Jim Bob and Michelle.
She and her children had previously been living in a small shack on the Duggars’ property.
Now, with news that Josh will be out of the picture and unable to provide for his family for the foreseeable future, it seems that a more permanent solution has been found in the form of Anna and her seven kids taking up residence inside the massive “Duggar compound.”
At this point, even if Anna wanted to divorce Josh — which, distressingly, she probably doesn’t — it appears that she would ride the situation out, if only for the benefit of her children.
Anna has never held a job as an adult, and she has little in the way of formal education.
Without the support of her in-laws, she would likely find it difficult to clothe and feed seven kids, the youngest of whom is still an infant.
Of course, Anna is not completely without options.
For several weeks now, Josh’s cousin Amy Duggar has been attempting to contact Anna via social media.
She says her efforts have been unsuccessful, which is a shame, as it seems that Amy has an important message for Anna.
She wants her cousin-in-law to know that there’s “no shame” in divorcing Josh.
Amy realizes that Anna might be feeling that she’s been trapped by circumstance, so she’s sweetening the deal with a generous offer:
Amy has invited Anna to live with her.
And yes, Amy says she will be able to accomodate Anna’s seven children.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that Anna will take her up on the offer, if only for fear of how the other Duggars would react.
Yes, even from prison, Josh continues to loom large over Anna and influence her every decision.
