Can the Church of Scientology really compell a 17 year-old girl to have an abortion?

Last week, our own ATS Live (show 211) featured a guest that many here may be familiar with, namely Mr. Tony Ortega; who is now executive editor of The Raw Story and was formerly the editor of The Village Voice.

Mr. Ortega's dauntless pursuit of the facts surrounding the Church of Scientology's general demeanor and history has been reminiscent of journalism of old; the kind we often long for and rarely see anymore. I strongly urge you to have a listen to the roughly hour-long interview if you have ever wondered about this "brainchild" of L. Ron Hubbard; and what the fuss could possibly be about.

During our interview I was made aware of an ongoing story which I somehow either missed, or hasn't been 'followed' by other media. Unfortunately, Mr. Ortega was unable to elaborate... so I thought I would share it with you here.

As the story goes, a then 17 year-old Mrs. Laura Decrescenzo was pressured and ultimately coerced by her Scientology leadership to abort a pregnancy against her will. Mrs. Decrescenzo had become dissatisfied with the course of her religious indoctrinations, and longing for home; made known that she wished to leave her church-assigned position in their order.

I cannot possibly bring you as comprehensive a study in this fascinating organization as Mr. Ortega; but I will express why this is potentially an important story, at least to me...

Imagine the lure which is offered by many institutions, not just religions, that some people appear intensely inclined to seek. The lure itself is certainty, dressed up as whatever the imagination can bare. Principles such as Order, Justice, Dignity, Destiny, Liberty, Righteous Glory; these are but some of the flavors of lure..., but it is always there....

Inside the organization that appears to dwell inside the CoS is a paradigm that manifests itself as an opportunity to subject oneself to Orwellian parasitism... the fiercest form of religious control which make the subjugate the prey of the church. I may be harsh in that assessment, but I would really like to invite you to take a crack at this.

By the way, I grant that this has been given some form of 'sanction' as a religion by punishment-prone authorities; discussing it as a religion can very easily become bait for hate speech. This is not about hateful phrases we can craft about a religion's tenets [for example, to proclaim whatever they please as an aspect of faith, and thus it is "protected" religious freedom.]

This organization deserves some form of scrutiny, because when people are not "free" to leave a religious choice behind..., they are effectively, not free.

But this tale seems to have so much more to it... like the trifle of a US Supreme Court case... which seems to have received the tiniest bit of attention save from our aforementioned guest.

[Read Tony Ortega's Blog article for further coverage]

Thank you.

It seems the Understanding of any child who under the age of 18 with child already Has A problem. If one needs to go there, I find if one is unable to choose anything until 18/21 yrs in most states anyway. You are caught off guard by pretty much everyone! And if the State is involved, Your Fricked!

Since you never hear the Real Story; only the parts that seem to play out when someones trying to make a statement. Other factors never said can change the story very fast. And todays world, someone always ready to speak, tell a story about anything. Just look at the Court System, He who can discribe a better story to your peers gets the Vote!

Yet have all the books from them and read a few myself. Have you actually done the Rating System they have on yourself? Some of them Questions get very deep Indeed!

Peace

nvm. abandon thread.

Was she a member of Sea Org ?


Sea Org members tend to work for just a few hours of sleep.. its another form of child abuse and child labour.

a reply to: infoseeker26754

I paused upon your note and thought to myself that the response seems to beg one to focus on the girl. Perhaps such consideration soothes an otherwise uncomfortable look at an institution of faith. If offense is sought, of course it can be manufactured; nevertheless the facts as are evidently in the hands of the court now, and therein lies the leverage play, to coin a tired phrase.

a reply to: AfterInfinity

Sorry I missed your post... I bet it was good.

a reply to: dollukka

Yes, I believe she was a member of that designated group. But their 'orders' of levels seems reminiscent of the explosion of certain martial arts belt colors.... I hope you see my meaning...

However, I am more inclined to see whether the US Supreme Court will skirt the underlying question: Should religious authority extend to effectively "consume" the fruits of their "believers'" labor..., (for lack of a better term.)

a reply to: Maxmars

Well, speaking on the title of your OP, if other religions (let's say Christianity) can compel young women to not have abortions if they really wanted to (and I know this has happened) . . . then, I'm not sure why it would be a shock that some other mind-controlling group could do the opposite.

I think you are right about the need for scrutiny where CoS is concerned. I'm not sure if Ortega touched on it, but the CoS'ers don't take scrutiny well. They routinely threaten those in the media that turn a critical eye toward their "religion". They have even committed crimes (B&E, theft, vandalism, etc) to keep a stranglehold on the secrecy of their practices.

I give you one example: Operation Freakout

Operation Freakout, also known as Operation PC Freakout, was a Church of Scientology covert plan intended to have the U.S. author and journalist Paulette Cooper imprisoned or committed to a mental institution. The plan, undertaken in 1976 following years of church-initiated lawsuits and covert harassment, was meant to eliminate the perceived threat that Cooper posed to the church and obtain revenge for her publication in 1971 of a highly critical book, The Scandal of Scientology. The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered documentary evidence of the plot and the preceding campaign of harassment during an investigation into the Church of Scientology in 1977, eventually leading to the church compensating Cooper in an out-of-court settlement.

Simple Google search brings up many more (and more recent) examples.

They are a cult that was started by a drunk fraud artist. And, I'm not calling him that as a "shot" at the CoS, Hubbard was that long before he thought up Scientology. Again, simple Google search will chronicle his many schemes.

As an aside, Hubbard was living in Phoenix (where I'm from) in the early to late 50's and used to frequent the bar that my grandfather and his co-workers would attend after work. My grandfather worked for Allied (later Allied Signal). Anyway, Hubbard would show up drunk/belligerent and leave doublely-so. He would constantly need other people to pay his tab and even was "blacklisted" from the bar for short periods when he couldn't find a sucker to pay.

At some point, he gave my grandfather's group (all engineers) copies of Dianetics and told them he was developing a religion to accompany. He wanted my g-pa and his buddies to promote this among their peers, as he felt it would carry more weight if he could "convert scientists". He even admitted that the whole thing was a money making scheme to help him out of his troubles with the IRS.

Here is his house in Phoenix, which the scientologists purchased some years back and turned it into a "shrine" and petitioned AZ to make it a "historical landmark". Today you can visit and walk around (for a fee of course). Even this is a sham, as they have not done anything to it . . . it's simply a furnished house.


Here is an article by another Phoenician who's father was acting as his local accountant.
LRH in Phoenix

LRH’s Day of Reckoning came when the Welsh-American Sr. Accountant and Dad’s Managing Accountant met with him, and I am told they said, “Enough is enough. We are only getting the run around. You get the answers we need, or we will end our work now.” Dad appeared, “fired up,” at my office door, and said simply, “Come with me.”

We walked to LRH’s office, one block south. Now in his sixties, Dad was tall, well-built and strident. We walked up the steps of the old house and entered a former living room. Before us were a desk and a young woman. Dad asked to see Ron, and the woman replied, using words I shall never forget, “Dr. Hubbard does not talk to mortals.”

This should be all sorts of illegal, but I wouldn't place a bet on how it turns out. The organization has a lot of wealthy members, is firmly entrenched in Hollywood, and abortion is involved. Considering the mentality of many these days, they could be given a free pass.

Wrong on so many levels, but it wouldn't surprise me!

An abortion is a medical procedure. I thought they were against anything medical?

I've seen a lot of documentaries on Scientology, and like Dollukka also pointed out above, the allegations of coerced abortions in their elite Sea Org are not uncommon.
In this case the age of the woman might make a difference in prosecuting the group, since most of the other women were older.

However, in cults and new religions "coersion" is a debatable topic, simply because adults in these groups choose to stay there and abide by their rules.
They might be brainwashed, but that could apply to lot of religions, and it's not a legal definition to sue any religious group when people suddenly change their minds.
I mean, imagine if all the ex-Charismatic Christians wanted their money back from TBN or Benny Hinn.

Apparently they also don't fall under the protection of the labor laws, because they are volunteers that receive an allowance.

Outside a prison camp or religious cult gulag, the ultimate choice of having an abortion is with the mother.
Unless she's literally drugged and tied down in an illegal abortion, then it was her choice.

People should consider all this when they join religious groups.
Usually it costs the members dearly, while the leaders prosper on money and power.

Religious freedom means that one cannot be legally kidnapped and "re-programmed" when one chooses a different church to one's family.
However, it also means taking responsibility for everything one says and does in that group.
It's your choice as an adult.

It's always sad however when children are brought up in such groups because of choices their parents made, and religious groups could certainly be nailed for child labor and abuse, depending on the state or country.
It seems to point to illegal activities in this case, although laws on abortion vary widely, and becoming pregnant at 17 is not that shocking when one compares it to the age that many cults and religious sects force their girls to get married.

a reply to: Maxmars

Most never do hear what the Child is saying, or being under 18/21; never will! Someone gets hold of some court papers and goes about Creating.

Most fail to understand that this child will have to live the rest of her life having a Story Following you around. It leads to many problems later in life. Since She never had a chance to Speak; what follows later is only the Story! People do tend to add to the story, town goes about saying what they Think they Know and what a mess!

Best I can do is send my Blessings for Her. Either way, one still has to live with the Choices one makes. People just do not know what pain one can cause Creating. Chat here, thoughts there and no one has a real clue, just a story told by another who decided to say something without even considering what could happen down the road.

Peace

The POWER OF TOM COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF TOM COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF TOM COMPELS YOU!!!!

No legally they cant,but they will bully her into it,and or threaten her with fines and penalties.

a reply to: yuppa

LOL Your talking about Tommy 2Toes? Man I tell you I wished I never him! I hope she learns something real fast. Reminds me of a Time past long gone!

Peace