Pregnancy and Natural Childbirth Picture-Book
| Pregnancy and Natural Childbirth Picture-Book | |
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| Type of Article | Category:Articles |
This book, measuring 27.5 cm x 36 cm was published in August 1978. The second page (publishing data) includes the following passages "Material by L. Ron Hubbard, Copyright", "International Issue Authority obtained", "Material by Frederick Leboyer Copyright© 1975 & 1978", "Translation Copyright by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.", "Original Copyright© 1974 by Editions Du Seuil".
Page iii, Introduction, includes the following paragraph: "A course called "Effective Teaching" which I took at an international non-profit excellence-in-education organisation called Applied Scholastics[[1]], which teaches the educational methods of the American author and educator, L.Ron Hubbard, really opened my eyes to the importance of the definitions of words. Without first understanding what the words of the subject mean, real workable understanding in a subject is not possible!"
Page iv contains the Important Note, common in Scientology books of that era, including a quote from L. Ron Hubbard.
Page v contains only the following sentence, in slightly larger type: "When children become unimportant to a society, that society has forfeited its future.", and the signature L.Ron Hubbard.
Page vii is a dedication by Margaret Martin to L. Ron Hubbard and includes the passage: "philosopher, author, educator, humanitarian who first pioneered and researched gentle "non-violent" childbirth in his bestselling book Dianetics® first published in 1950".
Summary of the Book[edit | edit source]
Pages 1 to 4 concern the woman "Mother of our future race", body openings, bones, menstruation, conception, and the beginning of the Growth of the Baby.
Pages 5 to 8 have full-size pictures/diagrams the growing fetus.
Pages 9 and 10 concern "Where is the baby growing?".
Page 11 contains "What happens inside a woman's body as the baby grows?"
Page 12 includes "The bladder during pregnancy" and "Positions for sleeping".
Page 13 to 15 contain "A good diet is important!", "What to eat" and "Weight gain".
Page 16 contains "Labor – What IS it?"
Page 17 to 20 contains "Signs of Labor" and continues to page 26 which illustrates "A gentle birth?".
Page 27 to page 30 contain quotations from L Ron Hubbard.
Page 31 to 36 contain quotations from Frederick Leboyer.
Page 37; Where Are Good Natural Childbirth Courses Available?
Pages 38 and 39 contain L Ron Hubbard's essay "How to Live with Children".
There is a page of acknowledgements and an index
The back cover contains a letter from Frederick Leboyer, author of Birth Without Violence.
Some Pages from the Book[edit | edit source]
This is page 4 of the book. The actual size of the book page is 26.5 cm wide and 35.5 cm long, slightly larger than the Scientology and Dianetics picture books.
Extra Material Which Came with the Book[edit | edit source]
With the book was found the following extra material.
Leaflet for Pregnancy and Natural Childbirth Education Centre[edit | edit source]
This is printed on pink paper 14 cm x 21.5 cm, eight pages folded down from a single sheet.
On the front (before opening) there is a picture by "Leonardo" of a woman with two children. Under that it says "A New Civilisation"
As you open it page 3 has a picture of L Ron Hubbard (the standard one with him looking at you with his hand under the chin and a watch on his wrist) with the caption "The phenomenal success of the Pregnancy & Natural Childbirth Education Centre is due, in large part, to the application of several new discoveries by L.Ron Hubbard, in the fields of education and administration & the humanities." When you fold it up on the left upper inside page there is a picture with the caption "Margaret Martin, executive director (l) and Emilie Karspeck, Org. Exec.(r) of the Pregnancy & Natural Childbirth Education Centre.
After stating that the Pregnancy & Natural Childbirth Education Centre is non-profit, nonsectarian educational organisation dedicated to the de-traumatisation of childbirth for mothers, fathers & infants – and the eradication of the majority of all birth defects, which are now known to be preventable" it states that the centre was established early in 1977. It then gives statistics on the number of people in the U.S.born defective, an estimate that over 90% of all births in the US are medicated births, that pioneering research was first published in 1950, and acknowledges the immense value of Hubbard's work in Dianetics. It states that the Pregnancy & Natural Childbirth Education Centre has received permission to use other new discoveries by L.Ron Hubbard in their successful Natural Childbirth Course.
Opening up the full inside four pages, as well as the picture mentioned, contains a section on Pavlov, and sections on Products, Expansion and Pilot Programs. The Last Section "Pilot Programs" states: "a Standardised Checksheeted Natural Childbirth Course has been written – employing education methods discovered & developed by L.Ron Hubbard. The Course Covers female anatomy & growth of the baby, exercises to get a pregnant woman into shape for the labor & birth, nutrition, ways to speed up labor & make it easier, communication drills, relaxation drills, pushing-out-the-baby drills, emergency birth, gentle Dianetics birth, the post--partum period, & birth control. Movies & slideshows are used to help make the data being studied more real to the students."
Closing down the four pages and looking at the back we find that it states that "This Course is now being piloted in Los Angeles with great success!" There is a section on tours and a list of things they are in need of and people they would like to communicate with. It then gives the mailing address which is a Post Office Box in Los Angeles.
Pregnancy & Natural Childbirth Education Centre – Admin Scale[edit | edit source]
This is in the form of a standard Scientology Admin Scale, two pages printed on pink legal size paper (duplicated/mimeographed typewriter written).
The Goal is "A non-profit, non-sectarian educational organisation dedicated to the de-traumatisation of childbirth for mothers, fathers, and infants, and the eradication of the majority of all birth defects which are now believed to be preventable." (On this page items in italics are underlined in the original) There is a second goal: "To become the acknowledged leaders in the field of Childbirth Education."
With regard to Purposes there are four paragraphs. The first paragraph is: "To get Ron acknowledged as source of gentle de-traumatised childbirth or 'non-violent birth'." The second paragraph talks of "engram-less childbirth for mothers and babies", with participation and responsibility taken by fathers as well. The third paragraph talks of providing engram-less childbirth and drug-free births producing keyed-out higher-toned future generations less likely to become the effect of drug implants and who more easily become Scientologists … will require less initial auditing, and fewer repair actions. The fourth purpose is to provide basic Preventative Dianetics education & TR's 0-4… for expectant parents.
Under policy we have in the opening paragraph: "To offer a check-sheeted standard Natural Childbirth Course for parents through our trained Educators". The following paragraphs concern training large numbers of Scientologists and non-Scientologists standardly as Natural Childbirth Educators, becoming Opinion Leaders in the field of Childbirth Education, making a list of good doctors in each area for referral, and using Ron's organisational policies to create a viable expanding & powerful organisation establishing education in Preventative Dianetics and reform in childbirth practices.
Under plans we have: "To knock out and expose the existing childbirth implants as evil and damaging to future generations. (ie.prenatal drugs, routine childbirth drugs, forceps, hospital brutalities mal-nutrition, etc.)". This continues with: "particularly to take the leadership in Childbirth Education away from the psychiatric Pavlovian (Lamaze) system…" and "(1976) (this system is the Red Chinese and Russian national system, and the largest organised ciildbirth [sic] system in the U.S.today.)". There is a piece about establishing orgs in various parts of the US et cetera and setting up New Civilisation Maternity Centres, and issuing a magazine.
There are three paragraphs under Programmes. These include reducing the numbers of birth-defective and brain-damaged babies born in the US from about 200,000 to about 20,000 yearly, getting non-standardly trained childbirth educators standardly trained and training high school teachers as Childbirth Educators.
Under Projects there is producing slide sequences with births and marketing them (indicating they are an application of Preventative Dianetics), producing 35 to 40 minute movies crediting Ron & DMSMH, producing and marketing other movies and getting standardly trained educators showing the movies.
Under Orders there are nine items.
Under Ideal Scene there are three items starting with "Ron acknowledged as source of gentle de-traumatized childbirth throughout the world." The other two items concerned childbirth educators and their work and "Doctors attending and working for de-traumatized drug-free Dianetics births and prenatal life throughout the world."
Revitalization of Life – Admin Scale[edit | edit source]
This is in the form of a standard Scientology Admin Scale, three pages printed on white legal size paper (duplicated/mimeographed double line spaced typewriter written).
Under Goal there are three items: "Revitalization of Life – Revitalization of Parenthood for Planet Earth – Revitalization of Childhood for Planet Earth's"
There are nine items under Purpose. The first is: "To get LRH tech IN on Planet Earth on the subject of Parenthood, Childhood and Life." This is followed by to hat Parents, Children, to correct and handle the problems of being a Parent, and a Child, to make it safe to be a Parent and a Child, to make it safe to be Alive and to eradicate 'death wish' and 'succumb postulate' by revitalizing Life."
The Policy section starts off with the LRH sentences: "When children become unimportant to a society that society has forfeited its future" followed by "Revitalize a failed purpose and the stops all blow". The next three policies are LRH Study Tech, LRH Dianetics & Scientology Auditing Tech, LRH Administrative Tech.
Personal Comment by Antony Phillips [[2]][edit | edit source]
This book, Pregnancy and Natural Childbirth Picture Book , could well form an item in an exhibition showing the timeline of Scientology. It shows the vigourous and rather aggressive attempt to force Scientology™ into every aspect of human society. This was not happening in the 50s. In the 50s Hubbard was very aware of the inadequacies in Scientology, in basic matters, and expressly said that we would not try to expand knowledge of Scientology widely until that basic research was done. It is true that when some relatively famous person embraced Scientology quite a fuss was made about it in Scientology circles. I can remember two instances of this, one being with Dame Muriel Payne, who wrote a book on the use of Scientology (in education abroad, I believe) and the other being when an Archbishop in a minor Orthodox Church became interested in Scientology. However these things were highly publicised within Scientology circles; just to keep the pot boiling amongst Scientologists, shall we guess.
Pregnancy and Natural Childbirth Picture Book is an example of the many thrusts to get technology used in the society and, not least, get the name Scientology™ well-known (and well thought of, although they shot themselves in the foot with regard to that many times).
It also illustrates the rather brief period when Scientology went in to the production of picture books. Although it is a rather basic principle that there should be some sort of a balance between mass and significance in communication this is not generally apparent in Scientology books but in 1971 The Basic Scientology Picture Book Vol. 1 was issued followed by The Basic Dianetics Picture Book (both of which probably require naming in Scientolipedia, as does much else which tends to be forgotten in our history).
The two Admin Scales could also form part of such an exhibit in a museum timeline. Ron sketched out the Admin Scale in a Policy Letter of 6 December 1970. To my knowledge he did not elaborate on it and people who were brought up to robotically follow procedures were somewhat in the dark and this is rather evident in the gropings of those two admin scales, quoting bits of Ron's writing which wouldn't have made much sense to non-Scientologists (to which I assume this was also addressed). The effort to push forward L Ron Hubbard's name and Scientology's name in those two admin scales is rather painful to observe (how opportunities were missed by fumble footedness).
There were movements, and still are, to help people to understand and use basic principles of Scientology without bothering about them coming from Ron or via Ron. I am putting one of these instances on Scientolipedia shortly (unfortunately for many the book is in Danish).
I know nothing of how natural childbirth is today or what happened to this project. That's a subject that it will be very much appreciated if someone investigated, or knew about, and added it to this article.
Later History[edit | edit source]
According to the following site, the business was filed in 1979 and has no closing date: http://www.bizapedia.com/addresses/P-O-BOX-27248-LOS-ANGELES-CA-90027.html
It seems to be suspended 2 years later in 1981, operating as a nonprofit: http://www.californiacompanieslist.com/pregnancy-and-natural-childbirth-education-center-inc-1dfk5/
It seems to be out of business in early 1981 - which is about the time the RTC took over everything. But it also could have been insolvent as well.
It would be interesting to learn more of what happened to the organisation and Margaret Martin. If anyone cares to investigate further, please do so and either post here or send the information you find to: ant.phillips@post8.tele.dk .
Other Scientology Books[edit | edit source]
- Recommended first books for those new to the subject: A New Slant on Life, Self Analysis and The Fundamentals of Thought