By Stephen A. Kent
Department of Sociology
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA
T6G 2H4
Scientology -- Is This a Religion?
(An excerpt)
...
"Because the attitude among some Sea Org leadership appears to be that
children hinder adults from performing their vital assignments,
researchers should not be surprised to learn of pressures that Sea Org
women felt to either abort pregnancies or give-up children for
adoption. My 1987 informant told me that when Sea Org operated on
ships during the mid 1970s, women knew that they were not allowed to
raise children on the vessels. Consequently, they experienced pressure
to have abortions. She told me that, "on the ship, I know of a lot of
people that [sic: who] had abortions, because they didn't want to
leave the ship. It wasn't like anybody said 'You have got to get an
abortion.' It was more an implied thing. If you don't you're going to
leave" (Kent interview with Fern, 1989: 41-42). Years later I saw the
same pressures described in a 1994 legal declaration by Mary
Tabayoyon, who became a Scientologist in 1967, joined Sea Org in 1971,
and stayed in it until her departure in 1992. She stated that in 1986,
while on the Scientology base in Hemet, California, "members of the
Sea Org were forbidden to have any more children if they were to stay
on post[,] and the Hubbard technology was applied to coercively
persuade us to have abortions so that we could remain on post" (M.
Tabayoyon, 1994: 2). The pressure came partly through what Scientology
called "ethics handling," which involved the organization pressing
people to conform to Hubbard's policies and the organization's
directives. Tabayoyon herself "gave up my child due to my greatly
misguided obligation and dedication to the Sea Org" (M. Tabayoyon,
1994: 4). She relinquished her child after being "indoctrinated to
believe that I should never put my own personal desires ahead of the
accomplishment of the purpose of the Sea Org" (M. Tabayoyon, 1994: 5).
Taken together, the interviews, legal declarations, media accounts,
and internal documents present troubling glimpses into the lives of
Scientology's most committed members. Sea Org obligations override
many personal and family obligations and responsibilities, and
devotion to the Scientology cause often appears to take priority over
the needs of children. Equally disturbing, however, are accounts that
some older children and teenagers have had to endure, along with Sea
Org adults, the abuses of Scientology's forced labour and
reindoctrination programs. Although several labour and intensive
instruction programs have operated within the Scientology organization
over the years, among the most intense ones is the Rehabilitation
Project Force -- usually just called the RPF." - Dr. Stephen A. Kent
The entire study can be read here:
http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/is_this_religion.htm