By James Tillman
LOS ANGELES, California, Aug. 6, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Los Angeles District Court judge has dismissed charges filed against the Church of Scientology by former member Claire Headley, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Headley alleged that the organization forced her to have two abortions while she and her husband Marc were employed in Scientology's “Sea Org.”
Sea Org members are the elite of the Church of Scientology; they sign pledges representing a billion-year commitment and may work 80-100 hour weeks for very little pay. There are about 6,000 Sea Org members worldwide; notably, members are not permitted to have children.
The latter fact has led to allegations of forced abortions, with members who become pregnant claiming that they have been heavily pressured to abort in order to maintain their membership in Sea Org.
According a spokesman from the Church of Scientology, however, members are free to leave Sea Org whenever they want.
Judge Dale S. Fischer said that continuing the case would require the court to entangle itself in the internal religious matters of Scientology in a manner contrary to the First Amendment.
Other charges from Headley and her husband Marc, alleging that the work Sea Org made them perform amounted to human trafficking, were also dismissed on the grounds that ministers of a church are not subject to normal labor regulations.
Scientologist spokesman Tommy Davis said that the ruling reaffirmed that Scientology was a religion and those who dedicated their lives to it were ministers.
“It basically shows that if you've got enough high-powered attorneys and you've got enough money to throw at a problem that you can make it go away,'' Marc Headley said in response. “That's historically been the case with them.”
See related stories on LifeSiteNews.com:
Renewed Allegations of Forced Abortion in Church of Scientology
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/jun/10061504.html
Tom Cruise’s Religion in the Spotlight Over Forced Abortion Allegations
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10031010.html