With all their wealth, Scientology Management has never covered staff for health insurance. As to Mr Davis' claim "“receive assistance from the church, including immediate prenatal care, medical care, financial assistance and even help in finding housing and employment upon departure from the Sea Org." Every bit of this is false. In fact, taxpayers foot the bill when these members show up at Planned Parenthood or for emergency hospital care as "indigents".

Ask Mr Davis to show the receipts for all his Sea Org members' care that he claims. Scientology has fought tooth and mail for 40 some years to keep from Ever opening their financial records to Anyone.
He can't show those receipts simply because they don't exist.

Just wanted to add my recommendation of the entire "The Truth Rundown" in the St Petersburg Times, for a full overview of this "church". You must might come to the same conclusion as another commentor that I saw, and agree:

Scientology is basically the "BP" of religions. David Miscavige and Tony Hayward are the "Prophets of Profits" and equally trustworthy humanitarians. Truth, like Oil, does not mix well with Greed. Amen

"Every bit of this is false. In fact, taxpayers foot the bill when these members show up at Planned Parenthood or for emergency hospital care as "indigents"."

It's designed from the ground up so that taxpayers foot the bill for everything, from those visits to taxpayer funded clinics to massages for prisoners. That's why this self-help corporation converted to a "religion" in the first place.

So now when the COS buys out downtown Clearwater Florida, for example, they destroy the tax base, and the entire City goes down or becomes dependant on the COS for tokens.

Its important to keep in mind that the founder of scientology, L Ron Hubbard, had roots in black magic and satanism. Simply google his association with Jack Parsons and Aleister Crowley. The man was also a pathologic liar who faked his credentials. That's why its safe to assume that scientology cares nothing for it followers, only for their money.

Thank you for covering this important story. More evidence of coerced abortions in Scientology is available here: http://wiki.whyweprotest.net/Evidence_of_coerced_abortions

A most remarkable outcome of this story is that it brings together pro-life and pro-choice advocates. No one can stomach a coerced abortion, nor should we.

Claire Headley's complaint can be read here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/14464561/Claire-Headley-2nd-Amended-COMPLAINT

Another slimy attempt to flank a legal case. Do your homework. These people are ex-members with an axe to grind. And they sell their story to make money (that's the legal case you did not research).

As for facts: There are dozens of testimonies that support Tommy Davis' version and only three emotionally charged - yellow press, hello! - accounts of personal decisions that are now, some decade or so later, regretted by the women. I understand that and I sympathize with them but from much more believable testimony it is clear that Sea Organization members can certainly pause their commitment to raise children and do so regularly.

SPtimes has time and again published false and negative things without confirming if what they're saying is truth. I would hardly consider them real "journalists." The assertions made in this sptimes article are completely false. The Church of Scientology does NOT require Sea Org members abortions should they become pregnant under any circumstances. You can read the Church's response statement here.
http://bit.ly/cDS54P

" but from much more believable testimony "

The declarations that Tommy Davis always has at the ready are "believable"? Hardly. What IS believable are the accounts from these women that they were pressured to abort their unborn children so that they could continue to act as slaves in Scientology's brutal Sea Org. Of course these aren't the only people to have come forward to tell of the abuse they endured at the hands of this "religion". Many have spoken out about the abuses, beatings, destruction of families, etc. If this is a "religion" then we might as well refer to the Mafia as a "religion". Scientology is every bit as duplicitous and evil.
Bravo to these ladies for speaking out.

Given these revelations, Planned Parenthood must now be huge fans of Scientology.

@Louanne, when these three 'emotionally charged' women are supported by claims from MANY, MANY MORE women who can assert the same thing, it stops being speculative and starts being what you say 'believable testimony'. These stories can be read over at http://exscientologykids.com/. The stories of these three women are mirrored by many more who were born, grew up and later escaped from Scientology. This so-called 'yellow journalism' on this subject by the authors in question recently won a Pulitzer. How can so many women be lying about something so heinous? And if what you say is true, then WHY are so many women who were in the SeaOrg coming forward about so many abortions? WHY did so many women get abortions? If they DID (or would) receive such a support system like you said, then why would they go through with it?

And for the benefit for those who don't know, Louanne, or Lou or whatever name they go by, is a member of another branch of Scientology called OSA aka Office of Special Affairs. Part of their job is to keep their eyes out for any and every article that portrays Scientology in a positive or negative light and either praise or rant appropriately.

I would advise anyone reading this to go to the website I named. It is filled with stories of child abuse, neglect and forced labor. Also with MORE stories from women who were forced to abort, or stories of people who know someone who did.

Every bit of this is sadly true. And the "sworn statements" that the cult of scientology released to counter this? Please, its not any different from a priest saying "sign this, or you'll go to hell" - its that kind of pressure and spiritual blackmail that all of scientology is built on.

its on the only 'religion' on the planet where the more money you pay them, the more salvation and super powers you get. Ya, super powers. Its crazy, but thats what they think. Try googling scientology and supernatual abilities.

What a bunch of nonsense. If Claire Headley didn't want to abort her babies, then she should have said, "No." It's really easy to do, you just say, "If I can't have kids and be in the seaorg, then I refuse to join seaorg."

But instead of opting out of seaorg, she voluntarily chose to abort her babies. And now she wants to be paid for it. This is just another chapter in the "It's not my fault!" syndrome that is plaguing America. This is no different than people suing McDonalds because they got fat from stuffing their faces with Big Macs.

Like all private groups, the church of scientology can limit membership however it wants. The KKK doesn't have to accept black people and the boy scouts can exclude gays. And the sea org can exclude people with kids. They have a consitutional right to do this. Obviously, the CoS can't rip the fetus out of an unwilling mother, but it is not illegal to merely encourage others into having an abortion. If that were the case, then there would be millions of men in jail.

The Headley's are just stupid people who want to avoid the liability of their stupid decisions by blaming other people. How about you point the finger at you, Mrs. Headley. Look in the mirror and say, "I could have left if I wanted to. But the seaorg and the cult was more important to me. I chose scientology over kids, and I am to blame for this. I made a bad decision."

I know, I know ... you all think every single scientologist that has ever lived is a brainwashed idiot incapable of making the slighest rational decision. Thus, scienos shouldn't be held accountable for their actions because they are all a bunch of slobbering retards who can't make knowing decisions. Stupidity is not a defense to your liability. Could you imagine someone pleading that in a courtroom, "Your Honor, I know I made bad decisions, but I shouln't be punished because I am stupid."

Scientology is a bad thing. But the only thing worse is a bunch of angry ex-scieno cry babies who want to point the blame at everyone othger than themselves.

the allegations of coerced abortions,breaking child labor laws,human trafficking.of Scientology are documented globally

to imply that somehow all the abuses are protected by a "ministerial exception" or to argue that fact is a gross abuse of Human rights.

taking an indefensible position trying to explain away these despicable practices as a "ministerial exception" is unconscionable. to imply they have a constitutional right to break laws,abuse any citizen in this way, is reprehensible.

there are 50 years of court cases in which Scientology and Scientologists have been indited.even when the win their dirty laundry is exposed.

Scientology's Idea of Social betterment is to attack the critics and cover up lies.

@ObjectiveGuy, you are a fool. If it was as simple as 'just saying no', then there would be no demand for an investigation.

You have to remember the influences these women were surrounded by. It's not a matter of 'being stupid', as you lazily and ignorantly claim. It's a matter of intense mental conditioning and subversive threats. It would be no different if these women were trapped in abusive relationships, which is effectively what being in Scientology boils down to. Would you tell a woman who was in an abusive marriage that she was 'stupid' for letting her husband do terrible things to herself and her children? Of course you wouldn't because you would recognize that she felt TRAPPED. because he conditioned her to depend on him.

That is what happened here; these women were conditioned from day 1 to depend on and believe ONLY in Scientology and the 'wog world' was not to be trusted and was a scary place and they wouldn't survive without 'the Tech'. Had they refused to abort, they would have been booted out of the COS and been disconnected from any family they had in it and with no where else to go or turn. I'd LOVE to see how well YOU would fair if your entire support system was suddenly ripped away from you and you were forced out alone into a world you knew little of and feared with NOTHING and didn't have a clue where to turn.

That is how cults operate and I suggest you do more intensive research before you make any further uneducated, ignorant remarks.