Not that we ever thought particularly good things about the Church of Scientology and their Xenu-fearing ways, but this new report from the St. Petersburg Times is particularly disturbing. While members of the Sea Org—the highest order of Scientology whose members supposedly sign an employment contract for one billion years—have been allowed to marry each other since 1996, they’ve been banned from having children. Why? Because kids distract from their duties to the church. And thus, women who get pregnant in the elite organization are allegedly pressured into having abortions. In the video above, three former Sea Org women tell their stories of being arm-twisted into abortions. They say that women who continued their pregnancies, and the husbands who stood up for them, were given harsh manual labor and were referred to as “degraded beings.” Keep reading »
Tag Archives: abortion
Former Scientologists Say The Church Pressured Them To Get Abortions
Not that we ever thought particularly good things about the Church of Scientology and their Xenu-fearing ways, but this new report from the St. Petersburg Times is particularly disturbing. While members of the Sea Org—the highest order of Scientology whose members supposedly sign an employment contract for one billion years—have been allowed to marry each other since 1996, they’ve been banned from having children. Why? Because kids distract from their duties to the church. And thus, women who get pregnant in the elite organization are allegedly pressured into having abortions. In the video above, three former Sea Org women tell their stories of being arm-twisted into abortions. They say that women who continued their pregnancies, and the husbands who stood up for them, were given harsh manual labor and were referred to as “degraded beings.” Keep reading »
Today’s Lady News: Abortion By Computer?
- Abortion providers in Des Moines, Iowa are using videoconferencing — or “telemedicine” — to administer RU-486, the abortion pill. Women can sit next to a nurse at a clinic and with a click of the mouse, the doctor can open a drawer to provide her a dosage. Opponents of abortion rights say administering the abortion pill via telemedicine could compromise women’s safety. Abortion rights supporters say using telemedicine for RU-486 helps women who live in rural areas where clinics don’t exist — in part because of opponents’ activism to shut them down. [New York Times]
- Next week, the Food and Drug Administration will consider approval for a new type of emergency contraception, called ellaOne, which can be taken up to five days after sex. Currently, doctors advise women who have had unprotected sex to take the existing form of E.C., called Plan B, up to three days after sex. [Salon.com Broadsheet]
- Chris Brown had to postpone a concert in Glasgow, Scotland, earlier this week after he was denied a visa following his assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna, last year. Said a government official, “We reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone guilty of a serious criminal offense. Public safety is one of our primary concerns.” [The Sun UK]
13-Year-Old Pennsylvania Girl Gives Herself An Abortion
A 13-year-old in Pennsylvania was hospitalized this weekend after giving herself a “home abortion” with a pencil last Wednesday. Police say the girl, whose identity is being kept secret due to her age, became violently ill for three days, had contractions and allegedly delivered a stillborn before she received medical care. Keep reading »
This Is The Abortion Ad British Pro-Lifers Got So Upset About
Marie Stopes International, a women’s reproductive health care organization in Britain that is similar to America’s Planned Parenthood, ran a commercial on British TV on Monday night that had everyone aflutter. What, pray tell, was the problem? Could it be shocking imagery, like the images of bloody, aborted fetuses which can regularly be seen in public on sidewalks, on college campuses, and outside abortion clinics?
In fact, the commercial shows a couple of melancholy-looking women as the words “Are you late?” flash on screen and a voice-over says, “If you’re pregnant and not sure what to do, Marie Stopes International can help.” Very radical and crazy stuff, I know.
Do you think Marie Stopes International’s ad is more or less effective than an anti-abortion ad like the ones starring Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam Tebow, for the conservative group Focus On The Family, which ran during the 2009 Super Bowl? [Guardian UK] Keep reading »
Today’s Lady News: Virginia School Tries To Figure Out Who Gave “Fetus Dolls” To Kids
- Wow, this will be one interesting faculty meeting: an employee at Oakwood Elementary School in Virginia was placed on administrative leave last Thursday after it was discovered that 4-inch-tall plastic human fetus dolls were handed out to third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students. Apparently, the fetus dolls, which were not instruction materials meant for class, were handed out over the past few months and came attached with a “pro-life” message and information on the first 12 weeks of fetal growth. Oakwood’s principal has also been placed on leave while an investigation takes place. [HamptonRoads.com]
- Sarah Palin is still saying she might run for president. Or more specifically: “I’m not going to close any door that perhaps would open.” [Gawker]
Today’s Lady News: Laura Bush Is Pro-Choice And Supports Gay Marriage
- Appearing on “Larry King Live,” former First Lady Laura Bush — who is promoting her memoir — confirmed that she is both pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. Awesome!
- Is “Emma the Amish Model,” who appeared on “Howard Stern” this week, captivated the internet simply because of her extreme “good girl gone bad” story? [Broadsheet]
- New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has forced American Eagle Outfitters to change their employee rules, including one rule which banned cross-dressing. This decision came after a trangender rights group complained that the brand has shown a pattern of discriminatory behavior and attitudes toward transgender employees and applicants. [NY Daily News]
Dear Wendy: “Should I Tell My Former Fling I’m Pregnant?”
I am a 19 year-old college student who two weeks ago had a pregnancy test come up positive even though I always use birth control when I have sex. I went in to Planned Parenthood and they said that my test was negative, but that they MIGHT see something on the ultrasound so I am probably just under five weeks along. I want to get an abortion and I have no hesitation, but I am unsure if I should tell the guy. He is and was a good friend of mine and we slept together a couple times on a whim over spring break (always sober or basically sober). I decided not to continue it because a friend of mine (who also had a brief fling with him) confessed that she had real strong feelings for him and I didn’t want to get into the middle of it. Now, do I tell the guy that I am most likely pregnant? I am getting the abortion next week, and it might be nice to have my guy friend with me, but I don’t want to ruin any chance my girlfriend has at a relationship with him. Also, I doubt he would be pro-life but we have never really talked about it. What do I do? — Expecting the Unexpected
Italians Claim Premature Baby Lived Through Abortion
The Italian Ministry of Health has announced that three separate investigations have been launched after a claim that this weekend, a premature baby survived an abortion at 22 weeks (or about five months). Allegedly, Rev. Antonio Martello, a hospital chaplain at Rossano Calabro Hospital in Calabria, was praying in front of the infant’s body 20 hours after the abortion and witnessed it breathing. Martello then said he alerted doctors, who took the baby to a neonatal unit at a different hospital where it allegedly died on Monday. Now legal authorities are investigating the alleged botched abortion as possible manslaughter.
Hmph. I call bulls**t. Keep reading »
Today’s Lady News: Oklahoma Pols Override Governor’s Vetoes On Scary Abortion Bills
- The Oklahoma Legislature voted today to override two vetoes on bills restricting abortion, which Governor Brad Henry had vetoed last week. One bill requires a doctor to show a woman who wants an abortion an ultrasound and describe the development of the fetus, with no exception for rape and incest victims. The second bill protects doctors from malpractice lawsuits if they do not tell the parents that the fetus has birth defects. Gov. Henry said the first bill was an intrusion into a woman’s privacy and called the second bill immoral. Two other abortion-related bills are still working their way through OK’s legislature. [New York Times]
- Did you know there are “chick cars” and “dude cars”? Automotive industry experts say accelerator and break pedals are now being made with womens’ high heels in mind and the 2010 Chevy Equinox comes with a spacious center console for a purse (although if you’re a dude, the salesman might tell you it’s for “a laptop”). A General Motors spokesman also said a back-up camera display in the rear-view mirror will be helpful for people who have trouble parallel parking, which we’re supposed to infer means women. Annoying. [Wheels.ca]
Protesting Abortion Rights: There’s An App For That!
You have to hand it to the American Life League (an anti-abortion organization) for coming up with a clever way to draw attention to their cause: they thought up the dumbest name for an iPhone app, ever. The “Yo, Where’s The Shirt?” app is part of the group’s second annual Photo Scavenger Hunt. Smart phone-wielding abortion opponents can upload pictures of themselves wearing a T-shirt with a “pro-life” slogan (ALL sells ones that read “It’s OK To Be Pro-Life” or “Abortion Kills A Person”) to earn “points” for engaging in various activities. Keep reading »
