Glosslip Radio: Astra and Lawrence Woodcraft, Monday, May 5th, 9:00pm EDT
Glosslip.com is thrilled to announce a special radio segment on our BlogTalkRadio show, Glosslip Radio. This Monday we will be interviewing Astra Woodcraft, ex-Scientologist and child Sea Org member and her father Lawrence Woodcraft, an architect, ex-Scientologist and former Sea Org member. Recently, Astra and her father were profiled on ABC’s Nightline interview with Jenna Miscavige, niece of CoS leader, David Miscavige. Astra, Jenna and another ex-Scientologist, Kendra Wiseman started a website called Exscientologykids.com.
Also significant is Lawrence Woodcraft’s detailed history on the CoS cruise ship, the Freewinds. Just yesterday we reported the ship has been permanently sealed due to a massive asbestos leak discovered during renovation. Mr. Woodcraft reported the “blue asbestos” problem years ago, but the Church of Scientology has worked hard to cover up the problems until the recent news leak our of the Caribbean, where the ship is dry-docked.
Astra’s Bio — I was born 1978 and raised in London until I was 7. My mom was a public Scientologist and she occasionally took me for auditing at Saint Hill, but I mainly led a normal life. At age 7, my mom joined the Sea Org and we moved to Florida. Between the ages of 7-9, I was in the cadet org (Sea Org for kids) in Florida. I went to school, lived in a dorm, worked doing chores and labor when not in school. I saw my mom once a week, dad was sent off to work on Freewinds.At age 9, my mom was transferred to LA. Dad left Sea Org. I was in cadet org in LA. At age 14 I was recruited for Sea Org. Told I would be paid $350 a week, not have to wear uniform and have one day off every two weeks. Was immediately transferred and had to wear uniform, got paid $11 a week, fed beans and rice 3 meals a day, almost no days off, with just 2 to 3 a year at most. At age 15, one month after 15th birthday, I was sent of to Las Vegas to get married, my husband was 22.
Between the ages of 15-19 I was in the Sea Org, working as a receptionist, then ethics officer, then head of ethics and security for the entire staff at Flag Liaison office (upper middle management of CoS.) Age 19 - got pregnant, left sea org. I ran away, was chased down at airport, got on a plane to england and stayed with family. Came back under threat of being declared suppressive person. Did their confessionals, they tried to convince me to have abortion. I refused and left. Divorced my husband who stayed in sea org.
2 years later, I spoke out publicly. My mom had basically disconnected from me as I hadn’t heard from her, couldn’t get a hold of her for 6 months. I found out she has been involved in the death of Lisa McPherson and I decided to speak out. I am now 29, live in LA. My daughter is 9. I work in architectural drafting and am taking the exams to get licensed as an Architect.
Lawrence Woodcraft’s Bio [from Xenutv.net:] Lawrence Woodcraft was a licensed architect in England when, in 1986, he was recruited to join the Sea Organization and go to work for Scientology in Clearwater, Florida. He left England with his two young daughters, Astra and Zoe, and joined his then-wife Leslie, who had already been recruited and was a staff member at Flag in Clearwater. Immediately all the promises that had been made to convince him to join staff were broken. He was ordered to take a job that had nothing to do with architecture; his entire family was crammed into one motel room instead of the two-bedroom apartment he had been promised; his children did not go to private school as he had been told they would; in fact, Zoe did not go to school at all and Astra attended public school only briefly.By 1994 Lawrence had routed out of the Sea Org and built a successful architectural practice in Los Angeles. He subsequently helped both of his daughters get out of the Sea Org. This allowed Astra to save the life of her unborn baby, as had she stayed in the Sea Org she would have been forced to have an abortion. His younger daughter Zoe had never been to a proper school and is now, at age 16, in a public high school working hard to catch up with her fellow students.
For helping his daughters get out of the Sea Org, Lawrence was declared a Suppressive Person in September 2000. All of his Scientology clients were ordered to cease doing business with him in an attempt to destroy his architecture practice.
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Ace!
Comment by Sponge — May 5, 2008 @ 10:32 am
The authorities have shamefully completely abrogated their responsibilities regarding anything $cientology related.
Anonymous has arisen to fill this void. History is being made.
Comment by marcab — May 5, 2008 @ 11:01 am
Glosslip is quickly becoming one of the most up to date sites on the cult of $cientology.
Nice work Dawn!
Comment by Rachel — May 5, 2008 @ 11:24 am
[...] is still (it has to be intentionally at this point) out to sea. So here’s one of us chickens: GlossLip Glosslip Radio: Astra and Lawrence Woodcraft, Monday, May 5th, 9:00pm EDT Although I suppose we need a better analogy since honestly its the big media outlets that are [...]
Pingback by Tracklist: Mass Media mentions of Freewinds situation - Page 2 - Enturbulation.org Activism Forums — May 5, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
marcab,
Not just the “authorities”. Also the media.
When Radar Online is the “biggest” exposure a story of this magnitude has? You can smell the fear of CoS legal harassment in the air.
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Comment by Terryeo — May 5, 2008 @ 8:43 pm
[...] night I had the pleasure of interviewing Astra Woodcraft and her father Lawrence for our Glosslip Radio show on the BlogTalkRadio.com network. Both Astra and Lawrence were in the Church of [...]
Pingback by GlossLip » Forced Abortions One Of The Many Abuses From The Church Scientology — May 6, 2008 @ 12:39 pm