SCIENTOLOGY
CANBERRA
NEWS ARCHIVE
HELLO
and WELCOME
INFORMATION ABOUT THE
CHURCH OF
SCIENTOLOGY
AND RECENT ISSUES
February
2010
by the Church of
Scientology Australia
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
i. Executive
Summary
ii. Chapter 1:
The false allegation
of forced
abortions
iii. Chapter 2: The false
allegation of
culpability in two deaths
iv. Chapter 3: The false
allegation of
recommending medical treatment
v. Chapter 4: The
false allegation of
theft
and fraud
vi. Chapter 5: The
activities of the hate
group, Anonymous (See
references)
vii. Annex A: Senate
Privileges
Committee
Report
viii. Annex B: Australian
Scientologists in
Action
ix. Annex C: Description
of the Scientology
Religion
x. Annex D: Is
Scientology A
Religion? by
Professor
Alan Black
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
On 17th November 2009 Senator Nick Xenophon
made a series of allegations under the protection of Parliamentary
privilege about the Church of Scientology and certain individual
Scientologists.
These allegations are baseless and in many
instances part
of a campaign of misinformation and vilification being mounted by the
hate group Anonymous against our Church.
The allegations presented to Parliament by Sen.
Xenophon
appear in a series of unnotorised and unsubstantiated letters from a
small group of former Scientologists.
At no time did the Senator or his staff contact
the
Church as to the veracity of the allegations, which the Church would
have readily assisted with.
Indeed the Church as well as individual
Scientologists
requested to meet with Senator Xenophon on several occasions as early
as July 2009 to
answer his questions on Scientology after he appeared on Channel
Seven’s
Today Tonight
show in a story about the Church in France.
His Chief of Staff is a former Today Tonight
reporter.
To the best of our knowledge, Senator Xenophon
has never
been in a Church of Scientology, nor does he know any current
Scientologists. Senator Xenophon did not reply to the
Church’s
request to meet or to answer his questions.
In responding to specific allegations from former
members, the Church has no desire to air in public the personal
experiences of members of the Scientology religion—even
former
members who have chosen to attack their previous faith. That said, the
Church vigorously denies the claims of these former
members.
We have additional detailed documentation on the
other
allegations raised in the Hansard and letters tabled and can be made
available upon request. The Church has responded officially to the
Senate and this has been incorporated in the Hansard (see Annex A).
RESPONSE TO
ALLEGATIONS
CHAPTER 1: THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF
FORCED ABORTIONS
The allegations of Aaron Saxton and Carmel
Underwood
regarding forced abortions are untrue.
The Church of Scientology does not counsel
expectant
mothers to have abortions and has never forced anyone to obtain one.
Aaron Saxton claims to have forced his own wife
to obtain
an abortion, however, his claim is completely fabricated as his ex‐wife
states in a sworn declaration that at no time was she ever pregnant to
Saxton. She has since remarried and has a beautiful child.
Sworn statements have been obtained from numerous
female
Church staff members who served during the same time as Carmel
Underwood, all of whom became pregnant while on staff, some as many as
three times, and all of whom state that they were never encouraged,
pressured or even suggested to have an abortion. They all state that
they were well cared for and given time off as needed to care for their
children, as was Carmel Underwood.
CHAPTER 2: THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF
CULPABILITY IN
TWO DEATHS
The Church is very reluctant to bring the
Schofield
family more pain than they have already suffered over the loss of two
of their children, but public records in both cases starkly contradict
Senator Xenophon’s claims.
The deaths of both children were determined by
the proper
authorities to have been tragic accidents. Moreover, sworn witness
statements confirm that, in the case of the first daughter, Paul
Schofield was himself looking after his child and was a short distance
from her when she accidentally fell down a flight of stairs at the
Church and was mortally injured.
In the case of his second daughter, she was in
the full
care of both parents at home when she ingested over 30 tablets of a
potassium chloride supplement called “Slow K” that
her
parents kept in the home within reach of the child.
Potassium chloride is not part of any Church
program or
service in Australia or internationally. The subsequent coronial
inquest found that the parents’ misunderstanding of the risks
accompanying an overdose of “Slow K” led to the
girl’s death and recommended greater precision in the
product’s warning label.
In both instances, the Church assisted the family
during
this time of great loss.
CHAPTER 3: THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF RECOMMENDING
MEDICAL
TREATMENT
Aaron Saxton and Peta O’Brien claim
they were
denied medical treatment. They both know it is a fact that all
Scientologists are not only encouraged to seek medical attention to
address physical ailments and injuries; they are required to do so by
Church policy. And without going into the nature of their medical
problems, records indicate that both of them received extensive and
regular medical treatment while on Church
CHAPTER 4: THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF THEFT
AND FRAUD
Aaron Saxton went so far as to falsely allege he
participated in a “cover up” of financial
misdealing by an
individual whom Church executives not only dismissed from staff when
they discovered his activities but diligently reported to the police
and successfully prosecuted.
CHAPTER 5: THE ACTIVITIES OF THE HATE
GROUP,
ANONYMOUS
In the quest to seek a Senate inquiry, Senator
Xenophon
has enlisted some unusual bedfellows. The former members upon whom the
Senator relied are open supporters of the cyber‐hate group,
“Anonymous” and some have physically protested with
masked
anonymous protesters outside our churches, yelling and chanting
defamatory and ugly statements and ridiculing members as they enter the
church. “Anonymous” members are infamous for their
on‐line
terrorism which is done for laughs. They not only attack
Scientologists, but Aborigines, Christians and Jews. They are faceless
and unaccountable for their actions. Some of their more reprehensible
actions have included posting instructions on how to commit suicide
with pictures.
“Anonymous” boasted of their
unlawful
Internet attacks which crashed the Prime Minister’s website
last
year. Prominent “Anonymous” members have also
discussed
broadly on the Internet the fact of their close contact with the
Senator’s office and working with him to bring about an
inquiry.
“Anonymous” have made international headlines this
month
for their denial of service attacks, crashing more government websites
under the campaign entitled “Operation Titstorm”,
protesting proposed measures to stop extreme pornography and other
materials denied classification in this country. Members of
“Anonymous” have been prosecuted
criminally in the
United States for illegal attacks on Church of
Scientology websites.
CHAPTER
1
THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF "FORCED ABORTIONS"
Allegation:
Several of the former members, particularly
Carmel
Underwood and Aaron Saxton, who sent letters to Senator Xenophon which
were subsequently tabled in the Senate on 17 November 2009, mention
“forced abortions”.
Summary of the
facts:
The allegations of Aaron Saxton, Carmel Underwood and others regarding
forced abortions are untrue. The Church of Scientology does not counsel
expectant mothers to have abortions and has never forced anyone to
obtain one. Sworn statements have been obtained from numerous female
Church staff members who served during the same time as Carmel
Underwood, all of whom became pregnant while on staff, some as many as
three times, and all of whom state that they were never encouraged,
pressured or even suggested to have an abortion. They all state that
they were well cared for and given time off as needed to care for their
children, as was Carmel Underwood.
Detailed
information:
There is no policy within the Church of
Scientology
regarding abortion or recommending abortions to staff or parishioners.
After seeing this allegation, a thorough
inspection was
done by the Church to see if anything like this occurred; many women
who had children or who got pregnant were asked about the details of
this, and we could not locate any instance of this in Australia. This
simply did not occur. Former Church member Aaron (Tweddell) Saxton
claims that the Church ordered women to have abortions in Australia
between 1990 – 1991.
Mr Saxton further discusses the matter of
abortions in an
interview which he posted online on 21 November 2009, where he states:
“In the Sea Org [the religious order
for management
staff of the Church] I had a wife, Willow Jaffe, she is now
one
of the directors of the Church of Scientology in the state of Nevada. I
asked my own wife to abort; when she told me she was pregnant, I told
her to get rid of the baby.”
When Ms Jaffe, who was married to Saxton for one
and a
half years, was asked about this incident, she stated in a sworn
declaration that:
“I have never been pregnant from Aaron,
which he
obviously knows. Aaron has never told me to abort or get rid of any
baby, since I never got pregnant with Aaron. This statement is
ludicrous and absolutely false.”
She further notes:
“I did marry [name withheld], my second
husband, in
June 1996 and did get pregnant at this time, and I left the Sea
Organization to raise my child. I was never forced to abort my child
and it was not suggested or recommended to me that I abort my child,
and I was never threatened … if I desired to raise my child
outside of the Sea Organization which I did.”
At least 12 members of the Church were located
who had
children while on staff in the Church and who were contemporaries of
those making such allegations and they have made Statutory Declarations
proving Saxton’s claims to be false.
One staff who has been a member of the Church for
more
than 24 years and has had several children during her time in the
Church says that she had her first child whilst on staff in the Sydney
Church on 9th of August 1989 and states of her pregnancy:
“At this time I would like to make it
clear that no
one ever approached me about having an abortion or even hinted that I
should do anything other than have the child I was carrying.
My
many friends in the Sea Organization were happy that we were
expecting.”
Another Scientologist who has been a member of
the Church
since 1984, having joined the Sea Organization in Sydney in 1988,
became pregnant with her first child in 1992. In a signed statutory
declaration dated 29 November 2009, she states:
“In the 25 years that I have been a
Scientologist
and Executive of the Church of Scientology I have not known of any
instance of anyone being coerced into having an abortion. Nor do I know
of anyone to whom this idea has been suggested or alluded to. Nor at
anytime as a member of the religious order of the Church of Scientology
called the Sea Organization did anyone ever suggest, mention or allude
to the idea of me having an
abortion.”
Another Scientologist from Telopia, a senior
manager in
Corporate Banking, has been a Scientologist for 28 years. She was a
staff member of the Sydney Church for ten years and is now employed in
the private sector. She says that in 1984, while a member of staff, she
became pregnant. She stated in a signed declaration:
“Whilst on staff, I married and became
pregnant in
1984. I received support and care as a pregnant staff member. I
attended ante‐natal class and gave birth to my son in the Paddington
Women’s Hospital on 4 January 1985. As it happened 2 other
Scientology staff members were in the same hospital at the same
time.”
Former member Carmel Underwood also put forth
various
claims of forced abortions. Carmel was both a staff member and a
parishioner of the Church between 1980 and 2008. Part of this time she
was a staff member of the Church in Sydney. Because Carmel was so
adamant about this allegation, the Church interviewed a Scientologist
who worked with her at the time of these supposed incidents, who noted
that it was Carmel herself who suggested an abortion to her, stating in
her sworn declaration:
“I do remember, however, that at one
stage, shortly
after I fell pregnant with my third child, that Carmel suggested to me
that I should consider having an abortion if I felt I could not go
through another pregnancy. I was [at the] time stunned by this comment
and as I do not agree with abortions I did not take this
option”
These allegations regarding “forced
abortions” are false. The Church has many more Statutory
Declarations on file regarding this issue if needed. Over 97 % of
married couples who are Scientologists have children. A major portion
of the Scientology religion covers marriage and the raising of children
as shown in the Scientology Handbook where chapters are devoted to
these subjects.
Document:
1. Statutory Declaration by Ms Willow Jaffe
CHAPTER
2
THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF
CULPABILITY IN TWO DEATHS
Allegation:
Senator Xenophon said in Parliament on the 17th
of
November 2009 that one of the former members Paul Schofield claimed his
first daughter, Lauren, who was 14 months old, was being babysat at the
Church’s building in Sydney when she was allowed to wander
the
stairs by herself and fell and that Paul felt pressured by Scientology
executives not to
request a coronial inquiry.
Senator Xenophon further stated that
Paul’s second
daughter, Kirsty, who was 2½, died after ingesting potassium
chloride—a substance used as part of a so‐called purification
program run by the Scientology Church.”
Summary of the
facts:
The Church is very reluctant to bring the
Schofield family more pain than they have already suffered over the
loss of two of their children, but public records in both cases starkly
contradict Senator Xenophonʹs claims.
Both deaths were determined by the proper
authorities to
have been tragic accidents. Moreover, sworn witness statements confirm
that, in the case of the first daughter, Paul Schofield was himself
looking after his child and was a short distance from her when she
accidentally fell down a flight of stairs at the Church and was
mortally injured.
In the case of his second daughter, she was in
the full
care of both parents at home when she ingested over 30 tablets of a
potassium chloride supplement called ʺSlow Kʺ that her parents kept in
the home within reach of the child. Potassium chloride is not part of
any Church program or service in Australia or internationally. The
subsequent coronial inquest found that the parentsʹ misunderstanding of
the risks accompanying an overdose of ʺSlow Kʺ led to the girlʹs death
and recommended greater precision in the productʹs warning label. In
both instances, the Church assisted the family during this time of
great loss.
Detailed
Information:
Both deaths were determined by the proper
authorities to have been tragic accidents. Moreover, sworn witness
statements confirm that, in the case of the first daughter, Paul
Schofield was himself looking after his other child and was a short
distance from his daughter when she accidentally fell down a flight of
stairs at the Church and was mortally injured.
Mr Schofield also claims that the Church
executives
pressured him not to request a coronial inquiry into the death of his
daughter. This is false. In a letter to the Church of Scientology
Australia, dated 5 November 2008, Paul West, Acting Registrar for the
NSW State Coroner’s Court, states:
“As such, Deputy State Coroner,
Jacqueline
Milledge, ruled that the holding of an inquest into Lauren’s
death would be dispensed with on the 20th December 2001.”
The letter is attached.
In a statement to the Police, a Church staff
member
present at the time of the accident confirms that the daughter was
under supervision and that her father was also present.
Another witness to the accident is consistent
with the
above statement. This second witness states in a signed declaration
made at the time:
“I came back near the stairs and saw
Lauren take
two steps down the stairs. At the time there was no one near Lauren at
all. I was probably the closest person to her and I was approximately
3.5 meters from her and I think Paul Schofield was behind me on my
right hand side. I thought she would be alright and then I saw her to
start to fall and tumble down the stairs. Paul hesitated when she
started to fall and Paul told me directly to stay standing
where I
was (i.e. not to go after Lauren)... I therefore obeyed Paul and did
not continue to rush to reach Lauren (I was too far away to immediately
reach her), so I kept walking towards the stairs and so did her father,
Paul. I then saw a shadow and it fell from the stairs directly in front
of me.”
In the case of his second daughter, she was in
the full
care of both parents at home when she ingested over 30 tablets of a
potassium chloride supplement called “Slow K” that
her
parents kept in the home within reach of the child. Potassium
chloride is not part of any Church program or service in Australia or
internationally. The Church’s religious service known as the
Purification program is laid out by L. Ron Hubbard in detail in his
book ‘Clear Body Clear Mind’’ and uses
Potassium
Gluconate in carefully regulated amounts. Potassium Gluconate is
commonly found in sports drinks.
The subsequent coronial inquest found that the
parents’ misunderstanding of the risks accompanying an
overdose
of “Slow K” led to the girl’s death and
recommended
greater precision in the product’s warning label. In both
instances, the Church assisted the family during this time of great
loss. The findings of the coronial inquiry were issued in a document
dated September 2005 by the Deputy State Coroner at the time,
Magistrate Dorelle Pinch. The cause of death was stated as being
“…from Hyperkalaemia (high potassium) following
the
accidental ingestion of slow release potassium tablets at her
Cooranbong home.”
In the findings of the coronial inquiry, dated 9
September 2005, then Deputy State Coroner, Magistrate Dorelle Pinch
stated that the daughter consumed about 30 x 600mg tablets of Slow‐K
(18,000mg of potassium).
The coroner further noted:
“These figures were provided in the
context that
the manufacturer of Slow‐K, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd., trading
as Novartis, did not recommend that the product be consumed by children
at all.
“Tragically, according to Dr Lee
[pediatrician who
examined the child], there was a very good chance that KS would have
survived if she had been treated as soon as her consumption of the
tablets had been recognized.”
The coroner then concluded:
“In my opinion, risk management
standards should be
at their highest where children are concerned. I do not consider it
appropriate for young children to have unsupervised access to tablets
of any sort. They need to learn the caution with which these products
should be treated. Further, if a child has taken an overdose of any
sort of tablet, at least the Poisons Information Hotline should be
contacted immediately.”
The coroner’s report further notes that
Dr. Lillis,
a pharmacologist employed by Novartis “had not heard of slow
release potassium being used as a salt replacement in instances of
dehydration.”
The Church is saddened by both tragic deaths and
worked
with the parents giving assistance, succour and support at their time
of loss.
Documents:
1. Coroner’s Letter
2. Statutory Declaration by a witness
3. Coroner’s Report
INQUEST
INTO
THE DEATH OF KS
Brief Facts
At 4pm on 20 February 2004, KS, aged
2, was at home with her parents, Ms and Mr S, her brother J, aged 4 and
younger sister, KA, 6 months. They had just finished lunching with Ms
S’s cousin. About 4.07 pm KS’s mother gave her a
Slow-K
tablet and told to take a tablet to her brother. This preparation of
Potassium Chloride 600 mg was used regularly by the family in hot
weather. They regarded it as a salt replacement. It would appear that
while she had the container, unbeknownst to anyone, KS consumed about
30 additional tablets. Ms S realized KS’s overindulgence when
she
accessed the container a short time later but was not concerned because
she did not regard the tablets as harmful.
KS started vomiting around 5.30 pm. She was
markedly
distressed and over the next half hour her condition deteriorated. Even
though KS was vomiting up numerous Slow-K tablets, her parents still
did not connect her condition with her overdose of these tablets. It
was only when KS began to change colour and experience breathing
difficulties that they contacted the Poisons Information Hotline at
5.57 pm. They were advised to call an ambulance immediately. They did
call the Ambulance Service soon after but by that time KS had already
stopped breathing. Ms S commenced CPR on the instructions from the
ambulance operator until the first ambulance officers arrived at
6.18pm. Paramedics arrived within the next 10 minutes. KS was
subsequently airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle together
with J, who had also taken at least two Slow K tablets. When she was
examined by Dr Lee, paediatrician, at 7.30 pm in the Emergency
Department KS was unresponsive, not breathing and had no detectable
heartbeat. Despite extensive treatment she did not regain consciousness
and was pronounced life extinct at 7.57 pm.
Cause of Death
Dr Lyons, forensic pathologist at the Department
of
Forensic Medicine at Newcastle, performed a post mortem examination of
KS on 23 February 2004. He confirmed the cause of death as
Hyperkalaemia (high potassium) secondary to the ingestion of Slow-K
(potassium supplement) tablets. Dr Lyons noted that potassium affects
the electrical and ionic stability of all cell types throughout the
body. He explained that any alteration in potassium levels has a
profound effect on the cardiac conduction system. Both low and, as in
this case, high levels of potassium lead to cardiac arrhythmia, which
can be fatal.
Further Medical
Opinion
According to Dr Lee, for a child of KS's age, the
ingestion of more than three 600 mg tablets would raise the level of
potassium at least to the toxic range. Given the number of tablets
regurgitated by KS at home together with the number pumped from her at
hospital and those located in her stomach and duodenum at autopsy, the
total number ingested by her would be around 30. Hence, the level of
potassium in her system was some 10 times over what Dr Lee considered
as a safe or therapeutic level. These figures were provided in the
context that the manufacturer of Slow-K, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Pty.
Ltd., trading as Novartis, did not recommend that the product be
consumed by children at all.
Tragically, according to Dr Lee, there was a very
good
chance that KS would have survived if she had been treated as soon as
her consumption of the tablets had been recognized. Indeed, there was a
viable chance of resuscitating her in hospital up to the time of
cardiac arrest.
Issues
The following questions were considered at
inquest:
• Why was KS able to access the Slow-K
tablets?
• Why did Ms S not seek assistance when
she realized
that KS had consumed a large number of tablets?
• Why did Mr and Ms S not seek
assistance
immediately when KS started
regurgitating the tablets or, at least, when she continued to vomit and
her
condition did not improve?
• What information was given to the
family about
Slow-K?
• Were the warnings on the product label
adequate?
• Should the unrestricted availability
of slow
release potassium products be
curtailed by placing them on schedule?
Parents’
Information about Slow-K tablets
Mr S gave evidence that he started using
potassium
supplements around 1978. At that time he worked for the Department of
Lands and was often required to work in rural areas of New South Wales
in high temperatures. Apparently, one of his work colleagues
recommended that he take potassium for salt depletion. He commented
that
he took potassium tablets when he felt heat affected. He would
regularly take up to 20 salt tablets and 10 potassium tablets per day.
He commented that they helped him considerably. Hence, his view, based
on what he had been told and on his own experience, was that potassium
was an effective salt supplement. He stated that he had never consulted
a doctor about using potassium because he had never experienced any ill
effects and did not think it was in any way harmful.
Mr S stated that he had been using the particular
product
Slow-K, a sustained release potassium preparation, for the last five
years. He purchased this at various pharmacies in Sydney and in country
centres. In his experience, the container of Slow-K had always
been located in the general part of the pharmacies, not in any
restricted dispensary section. He had never been asked by any
pharmacist or sales assistant why he was purchasing the product nor had
he been provided with any oral or written information about it.
Although he was aware that his father had been prescribed Slow-K some
seven to eight years ago to offset the effect of diuretic medication
and he had discussed this with his sister who was a nurse, these
discussions focused on his father's condition rather than on the
properties of Slow-K generally and his use of it.
Although several books on nutrition written by
Adele
Davis were located within the family home, Mr S confirmed that this
literature was not the source for his understanding of the use of
potassium as a salt supplement. He noted, however, that he had followed
Adele Davis's advice on the use of crushed potassium for colic and that
this had been used successfully to assist baby KA’s condition.
Ms S stated that her knowledge of Slow-K for salt
replenishment was gained from her husband. She herself had not used the
product before the summer that KS died. She stated further that her
husband was usually the one who purchased Slow-K. She had bought Slow-K
on only two recent occasions - both from a pharmacy. She recalled that
on each occasion the container of Slow-K was located within the main
area of the pharmacy, not in the dispensary. On one occasion she had
been looking at another slow release potassium product when the
pharmacist showed her a jar of Slow-K. She remembered asking the
pharmacist if this was the one for salt depletion and he had answered
in the affirmative. She had not been provided with any further
information either orally or in writing.
Although she was aware that Slow-K was not a
vitamin, for
all intents and purposes Ms S referred to it, and treated it, as such.
It was stored with other jars of vitamins in a cupboard to which J and
KS had ready access. However, she would normally tell the children when
and how much to take of these products. It was unusual for either child
to take them without the knowledge of herself or her husband. She
stated that she was not concerned that only an adult dosage was
recorded on the Slow-K label because her husband had been taking them
safely over a long period of time and the children had never shown any
ill effects. She was simply not aware that this product could be
dangerous.
Children’s Use
of
Slow-K
J and KS were usually given one or two tablets of
Slow-K
when they appeared overheated. I note that Mr S was actually asleep
when KS started vomiting and he was unaware of the number of tablets
she had regurgitated. Ms S was in a better position to realize the
extent of KS's overdose but her estimate at the time was probably about
half of what KS had actually consumed. Ms S stated that she was not
overly concerned about the overdose because she did not consider the
tablets to be dangerous and thought any excess would be excreted
naturally. Indeed, she thought it was a good sign that KS was expelling
the tablets from her system by vomiting. Ms S stated that it was not
until KS started to turn green that she realised something was very
wrong. It was at that point she had contacted the Poisons Information
Hotline. Even at that stage Mr S wanted to wait another 10 minutes
before calling an ambulance because he did not comprehend the
seriousness of the situation. Perhaps the family took false comfort
from the fact that the operator of the Poisons Information Hotline
thought that Slow-K was available only on prescription whereas they
knew it was available without restriction.
I know that the family have had to come to terms
not only
with the death of their daughter but also to endure the criticism of
medical personnel at the time of her death and, subsequently, a
criminal investigation. I have no wish to add to their distress because
they were to KS, as they still are to J and KA, loving and caring
parents. However, one of my roles as a coroner is to identify attitudes
and practices that may have contributed to KS’s death,
thereby
preventing similar fatalities in future. In my opinion, risk management
standards should be at their highest where children are concerned. I do
not consider it appropriate for young children to have unsupervised
access to tablets of any sort. They need to learn the caution with
which these products should be treated. Further, if a child has taken
an overdose of any sort of tablet, at least the Poisons Information
Hotline should be contacted immediately. If a child shows signs of an
adverse reaction to an overdose, immediate medical assistance should be
sought.
The Product
Slow-K is one of several sustained release
potassium
products on the market. As noted previously, it is manufactured by
Novartis. I stress that at all times Novartis has complied with
regulatory requirements for their product. Evidence was given at
inquest by Dr Lillis, a pharmarcologist employed by Novartis. He stated
that Slow- K was typically used by elderly patients on advice from
their general practitioners to offset the effects of diuretic
medication. He had not heard of slow release potassium being used as a
salt replacement in instances of dehydration. Although Slow-K was
available without a prescription, the elderly patients who typically
consumed it usually did have a prescription from their doctor. Dr
Lillis indicated that Novartis produced two sets of information for
pharmacists - a product information sheet and a consumer medicine
information sheet. He commented that, like other similar preparations,
Slow-K was not packaged in a way which guaranteed that the consumer
medical information leaflet was passed to consumers. However, he noted
that, pursuant to an agreement between the peak pharmaceutical bodies
and drug
manufacturers, pharmacists were “incentivised” ie.
paid, to
pass on the consumer medicine information to consumers. I note that
such incentives failed dismally in providing information about the
product to the family.
Following KS's death, both the product
information and
consumer medicine information leaflets have been revised by Novartis to
emphasise that Slow-K should not be given to children. More
importantly, since there is no guarantee that the revised information
in the leaflets will be communicated to consumers, Novartis has amended
the label on the product itself to include the warnings, “Do
not
use for children” and “Keep out of reach of
children.” The new label is being phased in from July 2005.
Dr
Lillis was also of the opinion that manufacturers of the generic drug
had similarly revised the label. I consider that Novartis has behaved
most responsibly in the wake of KS’s death. However, I would
prefer to see the label further amended by the addition of a warning
that if too many tablets are taken, immediate medical assistance should
be sought. I realize that this warning currently
appears in the consumer medicine information leaflet. However, unless
present practices change, I have no confidence that this information
will be passed on to consumers.
In commenting on the suggestion that a child
resistant
cap be used on the container,
Dr Lillis indicated that elderly patients already experienced
difficulty with removing the existing plastic cap. He considered that
utilizing a child resistant cap could lead to these consumers removing
the cap altogether for ease of access and so make the tablets more,
rather than less, accessible to children. I have taken his views into
account when considering my recommendations.
Scheduling
As I understand the present system, the National
Drugs
and Poisons Scheduling
Committee (“the Committee”) is a Commonwealth-State
Committee that is responsible for the maintenance of the Standard for
the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP). However, in order
to have legal effect, legislation needs to be enacted by the States. I
have taken the precaution of addressing my recommendations about
scheduling not only to the Committee but also to the Therapeutic Goods
Association and the Minister of Health in New South Wales in the hope
that the changes I have suggested are looked at urgently at all the
appropriate levels.
Dr Lillis described the scheduling process as one
in
which restrictions were placed on the availability of pharmaceutical
products depending on their classification. Schedule 3 products are
located in the dispensary section of pharmacies and are to be provided
to consumers only after discussions with the pharmacist to ensure that
the consumer is aware of the indications and contraindications for the
product. Schedule 4 products are those for which a doctor's
prescription is required. Dr Lillis indicated that most Slow-K
consumers already had prescriptions from their supervising doctors.
However, he noted that some patients may be not
be able
to obtain the product when
they wanted it if they had to see their doctor first.
Dr Lee was under the impression that slow release
potassium preparations were already classified as Schedule 4. In his
opinion, they ought to be available only on prescription.
The Committee has considered whether to schedule
slow
release potassium preparations on several occasions but on each
occasion scheduling has not been recommended. I wanted to hear oral
evidence from someone who had sat on one or more of
the sub-committees that made these decisions so I could better
understand the reasons for their conclusions. However, despite
extensive inquiries at both national and State level, those assisting
me at inquest were unable to locate such a witness. Therefore, I have
had to rely upon documents emanating from the Committee to understand
their deliberations and decisions.
In 1982 the attention of the Committee was drawn
to the
practice of medical practitioners suggesting to patients that they
purchase sustained release potassium preparations across the counter
rather than on prescription. While acknowledging that no significant
problems had yet become apparent, the Committee noted that this
practice did not allow proper monitoring of patient compliance. While
agreeing that electrolyte balance control in at risk patients required
proper supervision, the Committee nevertheless made no recommendation
about scheduling the products. In 1985 the Committee again declined to
recommend scheduling, noting that the warning on the use of potassium
supplementation was the responsibility of the relevant doctor or
pharmacist.
On the face of these documents, it seems that the
Committee has assumed that consumers will purchase slow release
potassium products only after consultation with their medical
practitioner or, at least, a pharmacist. The fact that Mr S had
regularly purchased Slow-K over a five-year period from different
pharmacies without the benefit of explanation about the product from
either a medical practitioner or pharmacist totally belies this
assumption. It is obvious to me that KS's death could have been
prevented if the sale of Slow-K had been restricted to prescription use
only. The Committee has, in the course of its deliberations in the
1980’s, recognized the desirability of the supervision of
medical
practitioners in relation to use of slow release potassium products.
Based on the evidence before me, it seems that the only means of
guaranteeing the involvement of
medical practitioners is give these products a Schedule 4
classification.
Conclusions
1. There is no connection between KS's death and
that of
her sister, L, aged 15 months, in February 2000 except that both were
tragic accidents.
2. The label on the Slow-K container, while it
complied
with regulatory requirements, did not provide sufficient warning about
the dangers of the product if consumed by children. If any product is
unsuitable for children, that fact ought to be stated explicitly on the
label. Similarly, the advice to seek medical assistance in case of an
overdose ought to be stated explicitly.
3. Although both Mr and Ms S individually must
have
appeared to various pharmacists as atypical consumers of Slow-K in that
they were not elderly nor did they have a doctor’s
prescription
for the product, no pharmacist provided them with appropriate advice
about the product in oral or written form. Insofar as the National
Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee considers that pharmacists have
a responsibility to provide such advice, that responsibility was not
discharged on the numerous occasions that the family purchased
Slow-K.
4. Nevertheless, Mr and Ms S could have paid more
attention to what was contained on the product label. Mr S’s
usage regularly exceeded the recommended adult dose. The fact that no
dosage for children was recommended should have alerted Mr and Ms S to
inquire of the dispensing pharmacists what the appropriate dosage for
children was.
5. In my opinion, young children, especially
those of
KS’s age, should not be permitted unsupervised access to
tablets
of any sort. To do so does not engender the appreciation of the caution
that such products require. Particularly if tablets taste like lollies,
children will eat them as they do lollies or, particularly if parents
restrict their children’s sugar intake, as a substitute for
the
lollies they are not permitted to have.
6. I also consider that whenever a person, adult
or
child, has an apparent adverse
reaction to any substance, natural or artificial, medical assistance
should be sought immediately. If the family had followed this
principle, then the outcome for KS would probably have been different.
7. If the responsible regulatory authority
considers that
a product should be taken
under medical supervision, then the appropriate course is to schedule
it so that it is available on prescription only. For this reason, I
shall recommend that slow release potassium products be given a
Schedule 4 classification.
FINDING
KS died on 20 February 2004 at John Hunter
Hospital,
Newcastle from Hyperkalaemia (high potassium) following the accidental
ingestion of slow release potassium tablets at her home.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To the Minister of Health, the Therapeutic Goods
Administration and the National Drugs and Poisons Scheduling Committee:
1. As a matter of priority, all slow release
potassium
products should be given a Schedule 4 classification to ensure that
they are taken under medical supervision.
2. All manufacturers of slow release potassium
products
should be required to include on their labels the following warnings,
• “Do not use for
children”
• “Keep out of reach of
children”
• “Seek immediate medical
assistance if too
many tablets are taken” and to amend their Product
Information
leaflets and Consumer Medicine Information leaflets accordingly.
3. Consideration should be given to imposing a
similar
labelling requirement for all products that are suitable only for adult
consumption and could be fatal if ingested by children.
To the Minister of Health and the peak
pharmaceutical
organizations:
4. A review of pharmacy practices should be
undertaken
and appropriate practice standards implemented to ensure that all
Consumer Medicine Information supplied by pharmaceutical manufacturers
is provided to consumers when the product is purchased.
Magistrate Dorelle Pinch Deputy State Coroner 9 September 2005
Magistrate Dorelle
Pinch
Deputy State
Coroner
9 September 2005
CHAPTER
3
THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF
RECOMMENDING MEDICAL TREATMENT
Allegation:
Senator Xenophon claimed that former
member Peta
O’Brien was discouraged by the Church of Scientology from
seeking
medical treatment for cancer. He further stated that Aaron Saxton
(Tweddell) was forced at times to extract his own teeth without the aid
of pain‐killers due to Scientology’s bans on medications.
Summary of the
Facts:
Peta and Aaron both know it is a fact that
all Scientologists are not only encouraged to seek medical attention to
address physical ailments and injuries; they are required to do so by
Church policy. And without going into the nature of their medical
problems, records indicate that both of them received extensive and
regular medical treatment while on Church staff.
Detailed
Information:
The Church of Scientology makes no claims to
heal or cure any physical illness. It is Church policy to refer all
physical ailments to a medical practitioner to be resolved.
Per the Church’s policy on this as written by the founder of
Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard:
“The proper procedure in being requested to heal some
complained‐of physical disability is as follows:
1. Require a physical examination from whatever
practitioners of the physical healing arts may be competent and
available;
2. Clearly establish that the disability does not
stem
from immediately physical causes;
3. If the disability is pronounced to be curable
within
the skill of the physical practitioner and is in actual fact a disease
or illness which surrenders to contemporary physical treatment, to
require the person to be so treated before Scientology processing may
be undertaken.”
However former member Peta O’Brien, in
her letter
to Senator Xenophon alleges that she was advised against medical
treatment for her cervical cancer, which required a hysterectomy. This
is completely false and Ms O’Brien knows it well, as she has
studied the above policy in one of the courses she took in Scientology.
In direct contradiction to her allegations Ms
O’Brien earlier wrote a letter in June 1998 shortly after her
treatment, laying out her medical treatment for the cancer and the help
provided by her minister and other Church staff.
“This medical handling was recommended
by [doctor],
Gynecologist/Obstetrician to fully handle any possible risks of
pre‐cancer spreading (or developing into Cancer) at a later date.
"I had the condition cross checked by [another
GP] who
closely monitored [Doctor] to ensure the cycle was necessary.”
Peta O’Brien was very appreciative of
the help and
support given to her from the Church staff and says:
“It is great to be back…,
not having my
attention units on trying to handle this body condition – as
I
know it is completely and terminatedly handled. I will never have that
condition again.
“Thanks to LRH, standard tech was
applied to this
condition and I do feel it is terminatedly handled. Thanks also to
Bruce in administering the Qual handling, and
Elaine’s input
on assists and the pre op auditing, and being my terminal on a daily
basis for the; last 4 weeks or so – I got through my cycle,
and
back on track. Thank you!!”
In her letter she also lists out the various
medications
she was on at the time of her recovery from the surgery.
An 18‐year staff member who was on staff at the
same time
as Peta O’Brien in 1998, stated in a sworn declaration:
“As the Chaplain I was overseeing the
well‐being of
Peta and others ... I was instructed by my senior … that
Peta
needed to seek and follow advices of a medical professional and that
Peta should be given full medical treatment…
“Peta was given every opportunity to go
and see
medical specialists regarding a cancer that she had been diagnosed with
and she would see specialists on a regular basis. Peta was very happy
to eventually inform me that an operation she had was successful, and
that there was no longer any sign of cancer.”
Another Church staff member who has been on staff
since
1986 and for the past three years a Medical Liaison Officer describes
how part of her duties require her to “take Church of
Scientology
staff, including Sea Org members and parishioners to doctors, dentists,
chiropractors and other medical professionals to ensure their health
and safety.” She also describes how she accompanied one
person
who had breast cancer to chemotherapy treatment for support.
Former member Aaron (Tweddell) Saxton also made
allegations regarding medical treatment and that the Church did not
allocate funding for medical treatment.
On 29 July 1994 Mr Saxton submitted a request for
a
one‐year leave of absence from the Church to “handle a
medical
situation”. The information contained in Mr
Saxton’s
request contradicts his claim that there was a “ban on
medications” and “medical attention”. In
his request,
Mr Saxton says that whilst on staff at the Church in Glebe:
“4 years ago I experienced a series of
illnesses
which resulted in me ending up in hospital [from 7 to 23 August
1990].”
Continuing, Mr Saxton describes some of his
treatment:
“During this time I received numerous
testing to
locate the WHY for such a condition. I got daily blood tests and was
under a strict diet ....”
Scientologists receive medical care when needed.
Any
allegations to the contrary are false. This is also backed up by a
letter written by a NSW doctor, dated 21 November 2009. It states in
part:
“I count a significant number of
Scientologists,
including Church staff, among my patients, many long‐term.”
Documents:
1. Letter from a NSW doctor
CHAPTER
4
THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF
THEFT AND FRAUD
Allegation:
Senator Xenophon said that a former member Aaron
Saxton
was asked to cover up the defrauding of credit cards and cash by a
Scientology employee.
Senator Xenophon further stated that Kevin Mackey wrote to him that he
was abused by the Church of Scientology for 26 years and that he and
his wife handed over a large sum of money to the Church.
Summary of the
Facts:
This so‐called ʺcover‐upʺ alleged by Aaron Saxton
(Tweddell) was financial misdealing by an individual whom Church
executives not only dismissed from staff when they discovered his
activities but diligently reported to the police and
successfully prosecuted.
Former member Kevin Mackey makes such generalized
allegations regarding the finances that the broadness of his claims
inhibits any ability to properly respond, as there are no specifics to
respond to. On a broader scope the Church found documents that
contradicted Kevin Mackey’s claims and interviewed
Scientologists
who knew Mr Mackey (as detailed below).
Detailed
Information:
Church records clearly prove that this
allegation by Aaron Saxton is a fabrication. This allegation relates to
the activities of an individual who was a staff member of one of the
Churches from December 1988 to December 1989. The matters referred to
by Aaron Saxton were first brought to the attention of then Legal
Officer of the Church in October 1989. The Legal Officer ordered that
an investigation be carried out of certain financial records and found
irregularities in those records. The Legal Officer confronted the
offending staff member who made a Statutory Declaration admitting to 21
cases of forgery.
The Legal Officer subsequently attended the
Leichhardt
Police Station where he
reported the crimes and handed to police all relevant records. The
Legal Officer made a signed statement to police regarding his knowledge
of this matter for court purposes, a copy of which is attached. The
person was then dismissed from staff due to his refusal to uphold the
standards required in the Church.
As for the claim by Kevin Mackey, in 1998 Kevin
Mackey
posted on his own Internet site the following comments about his life
before Scientology.
“I came into Scientology 15 years ago.
I was on
drugs and quite illiterate. I had not worked for more than a day here
or there for the previous 3 months. My prospects were not
bright.”
Kevin Mackey also makes comments of how he
attributes the
success of his business to Scientology:
“I have been happily married for 13
years and with
our first child on the way. Well, actually, our first child was our
business, my wife and I have been building a furniture business
together for the last 5 years and I alone for the last 3 years before
that. We now employ 14 or so staff and supply some of the most
prestigious stores in Sydney and Melbourne.
We’ve both had a good time with the
business. The
technology of Scientology make that possible. Without it we
wouldn’t have made it.”
Kevin Mackey’s wife, Vicky, makes
similar comments
in an Internet posting in 1998. She states:
“By doing Scientology courses I
improved my
abilities and pretty soon found that I was really able to achieve
anything I wanted.
“My material goals were rapidly
fulfilled – I
now run my own business, have a wonderful marriage, have a child on the
way. I have all the possessions I wanted and have absolutely no money
problems or attention on that, and I’m just over 30 years
old.”
Members of the Church of Scientology who knew
Kevin
Mackey well recall him being very active in helping the Church with
projects and events, as well as fundraising and recommending to others
that they go into the Church of Scientology to take religious services.
They recall that Kevin Mackey had received so much benefit from the
Church that he wanted others to receive the same benefits and he also
donated to the Church‐sponsored social betterment programs and to
building renovations.
A close friend of Kevin Mackey for 13 years (from
1993)
states in a Statutory Declaration dated 30 November 2009:
“...Kevin would often boast about his
gains from
undertaking religious services and courses at the Church of Scientology
in Sydney. He would even tell me how from the knowledge he had received
from Scientology had boomed his furniture business from a small two‐man
operation to quite a considerable entity with healthy profits which
afforded him a beautiful house in the North Sydney Suburb of Turramurra
and a very
comfortable lifestyle.”
Documents:
1. Kevin Mackey website
2. Vicky Mackey website
CHAPTER
5
THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF THE HATE GROUP, ANONYMOUS
As it is apparent that Senator Xenophon has been influenced
by
members of the hate group known as Anonymous, then the facts about this
group needs to be known.
“Anonymous” is a cyber hate
group which has
attacked various organizations, religions and racial groups. This hate
group has been involved in criminal actions like vandalism, Distributed
Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks resulting in crashing websites,
harassing calls and emails, and pictures and posters highly denigrating
of religious groups (including Muslims and Jews) and other
organizations. They are cyber‐terrorists and some of their members have
been criminally charged and sentenced in the United States. Anonymous
even goes so far as to post instructions on how to commit suicide.
Several of the former members who made false
allegations
to Senator Xenophon, which were tabled in the Senate on 17 November
2009, are connected to this hate group. Anonymous has been harassing
Scientologists in Sydney for two years, along with some of these former
members of the Church and the intensity of the harassment has
increased. Aaron (Tweddell) Saxton, one of those former members who
sent false allegations to Senator Xenophon, is currently one of the
Anonymous ringleaders. In a self‐made webcam interview that Mr Saxton
posted on YouTube on 9 January 2010, he
states:
“I want people out there to remember it
was
Anonymous that went
out there and put their faces on the line to fight the battle for
us…. It’s
them and they deserved all our support. We should all stand shoulder
to shoulder. If we can’t stand shoulder to shoulder, then
something is
wrong.”
Mr Saxton also makes the threat:
“The year 2010 is going to be the year
that can
send the Church of Scientology into a spiral down that it’s
never
going to recover from…This is the year the Church
gets hurt
and never recovers from it.”
The Church has expanded more than ever in the
last 10
years. However, the threat is clear and shows his intention to continue
to harass the Church and be a ringleader.
Other former members who submitted these false
allegations are also connected to Anonymous including Paul Schofield
and Carmel Underwood. In March 2008, Carmel Underwood had prominent
members of the Anonymous group to her property for a BBQ and publicly
posted to this effect. Paul Schofield has attended a number of
Anonymous protests outside the Melbourne Church of Scientology.
Attacks on other groups:
Anonymous has targeted blacks, Jews and Muslims
with
their hate
propaganda. They have denigrated people of all faiths for their
religious
beliefs with a barrage of demeaning images and obscenities.
Anonymous01/16/08(Wed)18:34:31
No.51137469
The cult
corrupting people minds and taking over the world which is really just
a
pyramid
scheme organized crime syndicate...is CHRISTIANITY. We need to raid
Christianity for the lutz. But not just christianity, all cults.
Hinduism, Buddhism,
Judaism,
Islam, Raelianism, Scientology, etc.
In its own words, Anonymous describes
its method of
operation.
We are the face of
chaos and the harbingers of judgment. We’ll laugh in the face of
tragedy.We’ll mock those who
are in pain. We ruin the lives of
other people simply because we can. A man takes out his aggression on the cat. We laugh.
Hundreds die in a
plane crash. We laugh. The nation mourns over school
shooting, we laugh.
We’re the embodiment of humanity
with no remorse, no caring, no love, or sense of morality. e only have the desire
for more and more.
And quite simply you have our attention.
(Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ1qi9gz7UU)
In July 2007 Anonymous claimed responsibility for
a
massive Distributed Denial of Service attack on Fox News computers. In
January 2008, Anonymous conducted a similar attack on Church of
Scientology websites and in March 2008 Anonymous assaulted an on‐line
support forum for epileptics.
In September 2009 the Australian Prime
Minister’s
website was attacked by Anonymous as reported on ZDNet.com.au on
September 10, 2009:
“A group calling itself
‘Anonymous’ had
published its threat to wage cyber war on the Australian Government a
month ago on YouTube. It had demanded that the Labour Government
abandon its Internet filtering plans and threatened to flood government
email, fax, phone and Internet services if its demand was not
met.”
Shortly after that, Anonymous posted a threat to
“shoot Conroy” [Senator Stephen Conroy], as he was
responsible for filtering pornographic material in Australia, which the
Anonymous liberally use.
Most recently, starting from the 10th of February
2010
(the anniversary of the 1st Anonymous protest outside Scientology
churches), Anonymous conducted attacks on Australian government
websites, entitling the attack:
“Operation: Titstorm”.
Anonymous members
disabled the Parliamentary website and continued their attack in
protest of the government’s proposed Internet filter. They
are
trying to force the Australian government to back off from the filter
and obey the demands of Anonymous. Documents:
Documents:
1. Article on the PM site attacked by Anonymous.
2. Article on the Australian government websites
attacked.
APPENDICES
A. SENATE
PRIVILEGES
COMMITTEE
REPORT
B. AUSTRALIAN
SCIENTOLOGISTS IN ACTION
C. DESCRIPTION
OF THE SCIENTOLOGY RELIGION
‐ The Creed of the
Church of
Scientology
‐ Doctrine of the
Scientology Religion
‐ The Religious
Practice of Scientology
D. IS
SCIENTOLOGY A RELIGION? BY
PROFESSOR ALAN
BLACK, Associate Professor
in Sociology,
University of
New England
LETTER
TO THE
SENATE and a LETTER TO FOU R
CORNERS What did the TV
program Four Corners
level at her and what was it they suppressed? Read the real
data
that Four Corners prevented from airing. Form your own opinion.
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