Child Care in Scientology

Copies for info:
Guardian WW                                     May 8, 1981
Guardian US
DG PR US
Watchdog Committee
CO Child Care Org
AG PR CCO Doug Smith

Subject: Child Care Org LA, Placing Scientology at risk

Dear Mary Sue:

I am writing to alert you about a situation at the Los Angeles Child Care Org that places Scientology and Scientologists at risk. I am writing to the highest echelons of our Church because this is, an on-going and recurring situation that has never been handled despite attempts in the past. It is a situation that demands perhaps a different approach and some rethinking and I hope that as a result of this letter, something will happen in this direction.

Although I am reporting on a PT situation regarding the care of Sea Org children in Los Angeles, this particular situation is only an indicator of a far more serious and widespread situation regarding staff children, that permeates our entire structure.

On April 29 [name deleted] a friend of mine and an ASHO Sea Org member, currently on a maternity leave, was informed by the CEO receptionist that her son [name deleted] had Herpes. She asked me to drive to the CEO with her. When we arrived we were told he was in sick bay.

We went to the sick bay which had, I think, eight children in it. These children were all being mistreated. I do not mean medically, only, I mean mistreated in the sense of abused.

1. Sick children were being diagnosed by the MO; as it turned out they were misdiagnosed by the MO.
2. [The son] was forced to work while ill. He was supposed to be looking after the other sick children.
3. The children were not being sent to a doctor — for reasons of FP [financial planning].
4. The space was filthy and inadequate.
5. The sick children had no beds; they were lying on a concrete floor.
6. There was no adult supervision of these ill children.
7. Children suffering from different contagious diseases were all in the same space.
8. The children were dirty and un-hygienic.

We talked to the MO at length. [The son], it turned out, had complained of other symptoms (sore head, eyes and throat). The MO said he only had one sore in his mouth and was not sick. Apparently when he asked the MO if he could lie down, the MO said he was not sick and had to stay on post, looking after the other children. I also discovered that the MO had received no money from ASHO for the care of ASHO children and therefore there was no money to send the kids to the doctor. All he was doing was giving the children vitamins for their illnesses.

The "sick bay" was an approximately 5 x 18 foot screened off porch area outdoors, with a concrete floor. One of the children, a three-year-old, was lying on a very thin kitchen mat, on the floor. Others were bare-foot on the concrete floor.

The MO told us that if [mother] wanted her son to go to the doctor, she would have to go to ASHO and put in a PO. I told him that all the children who had not seen a doctor should do so, as he was not qualified to diagnose illness. At this point he became antagonistic and said they did not need a doctor and he did not want to discuss it further. I said to [mother] that the conditions in the sick bay were atrocious and if he [the Medical Officer] was not going to do anything about it, I was going to call the Board of Health.

The MO said, of course, that what I was doing was a suppressive act, as indeed, it is per policy. I replied that what he was doing to those children was a suppressive act, and left. We went to ASHO to put in a rush PO. After waiting, I became concerned about [the son] and told his mother that I would pay for his medicine and that they could pay me later. Doctor Victoria Samler diagnosed [son] as having Vincent's disease (a bacterial infection of the mouth), an eye infection and inflamed tonsils; also a vitamin B and C deficiency. She prescribed an antibiotic and eye drops.

To paraphrase what happened in the days that followed, the Guardian's Office terminals were called in because of my "threat". At first they were more anxious that I withdraw my threat than handling the children, but I think they realized that my true intention was to help. I maintained my position (the "threat" seemed to be the only leverage that would get anything done about the children) and visited the Child Care Org daily.

The next day all the children were taken to the doctor. As far as I know the MO is in Ethics, the AG was asked for a report on the situation by his seniors, ASHO finally came through with some money for the CCO for the first time in weeks, and the AG has assured me, that the children will generally be better cared for. I was also told that Jane Kember was in the process of doing an eval on the Child Care Org. In view of this I fail to see how the danger condition in the sick bay persisted during the past two weeks.

They are not receiving an adequate education.

One six year old couldn't even read simple words (and, but).

The quarters smell. Dirty.

The children are almost all dirty. Many run around naked.

There is a terrible lack of dental care, evidenced by the dirty teeth of some children I saw. I assume they have never seen a dentist.

There is a lack of quality and qualified personnel to look after the kids. People that are on the RPF are sent to look after the kids. Lack of stable terminals for kids.

Unhatted personnel, not interested in the post.

This is all symptomatic of a general attitude that children are less important than posts. During my battle with the Child Care Org and GO terminals, I had to quote very simple, basic, almost self-explanatory, LRH tech such as "Insist that when a person is ill they get medical treatment" (The Way to Happiness) "When children become unimportant to society, etc (SOS). Children are our future, etc. I find it a sad indictment that this was necessary even.

Something must be done to terminatedly handle this situation. If we are to forge the new civilization, let it be civilized. Let us be civilized enough to care for those who trust us with their lives. Perhaps there is existing policy, but it is not enforced, here or at Flag. Perhaps it needs to be re-evaluated. In any case, in order for any policy to be followed, there has to be a drastic re-evaluation of priorities in the Church. Children are a priority. They are our future. They do deserve more from us.

It is my hope that effective change in this area will soon come about.

Sincerely,

[name deleted]

Class VI, OT IV