Scientology and Forced Abortions
Filmmaker Mark Bunker has released another preview from his upcoming documentary,Knowledge Report.
In this segment, Gary Morehead talks about his role as a security officer at Scientology's secretive California desert headquarters, Int Base, where he oversaw the operation that persuaded pregnant Sea Org members to have abortions.
Numerous woman have come out of the Sea Org to tell their stories about how they were forced to terminate their pregnancies. In 2009 Claire Headley, for example, told the St. Petersburg Times about her ordeal:
When Scientologists join the hardcore Sea Org, they sign billion-year contracts and promise to come back, lifetime after lifetime, to work for the church. Former members talk of incredible work hours -- more than 100 in a week -- for paychecks of about $40 a week. Conditions are harsh, the work can be menial in the extreme, and couples are encouraged not to have children so that they can continue to work at such a pace.
As Morehead says in the video, it was his job to find out which women at the base were going against that rule and planned to have children. It was his job to talk them out of it.
Headley and other women have characterized this as "forced abortion," and it's one of the things the FBI was reportedly looking into earlier this year. Why the FBI gave up on that probe is the subject of the petition that gathered enough signatures for an Obama administration response, as we reported earlier today.
posted by
Tony Ortega who is the editor-in-chief of The Village Voice. Since 1995, he's been writing about Scientology at several publications.
Comments