Astra Woodcraft

Interview Conducted January 20, 2001

Astra Woodcraft was seven years old when her parents thrust her into the world of Scientology’s “elite” Sea Organization.

From the cramped quarters of the motel room her family of five shared when they first arrived at the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida, Astra was moved into a dormitory where, because Scientology would not provide a bed for her, she slept on a couch for a year.

This was the beginning of Astra’s life in the sub-standard and oppressive living environment that is accepted as routine to those in the Sea Organization.

Astra’s affidavit covers her formative childhood and teenage years. In it she describes the poor schooling she received and the hours working at the behest of the Church of Scientology, including having to guard other members who wanted to leave.

Shortly after her fifteenth birthday, Astra married a 21-year-old man on the orders of her superiors. She tells of being belittled and yelled at by other Sea Org members, including her own mother, when she refused to get an abortion after becoming pregnant at 19.

In “The Story of Kate,” Astra Woodcraft details the pressure that was brought to bear on her to abort her baby when it was discovered that she was pregnant. Meet Astra’s beautiful daughter, Kate, who is alive today because of Astra’s courageous escape from Scientology’s Sea Organization.

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“The Story of Kate” – Transcript

In her affidavit and in newspapers articles published in the San Francisco Chronicle on February 12, 2001 and also in the London Daily Mail on February 17, 2001, Astra speaks out about these horrific experiences and many others inconceivable to those unfamiliar with the practices of Scientology.

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Part One: “Growing Up in Scientology” – Transcript

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Part Two: “Joining the Sea Org” – Transcript

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Part Three: “Leaving the Sea Org” – Transcript

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Part Four: “A Typical Day” – Transcript

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Part Five: “The Mace Kingsley Ranch” – Transcript

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Part Six: “On Lisa McPherson” – Transcript