Scientology "policy" is a bit of of ruse, although it is taken very seriously, and is often implemented; it's also often ignored by those in higher positions, who seem to be following other instructions than whatever particular policy the exasperated staff or Sea Org member has tightly gripped in his hand, wondering WTF?
There are Hubbard instructions that trump (are senior to) "policy." It's always been that way. This is one of the reasons why there is so much tension and so much shouting inside Scientology - the tension between the on-display available-to-the-public-for-view "policy," with the confidential not-available-to-the-public-view "policy," with the available-to--view-by-average-Sea-Org-members Sea Org "policy," with Hubbard's confidential instructions, nowadays labelled as "advices."
This is perplexing to the average Scientologist who has been told that "there is no hidden data line," which is, and always was, untrue. This is, and always was, a hidden data line.
Hubbard - on some level - wanted Scientologists to recognize this, or at least he felt a need to brag about it in a round-about way, when he wrote the ("Pink Legs") 'Bolivar Policy Letter', where, tacked onto the end, he explains how a successful operation will run best as a deceitful and secretive "tight conspiracy." And this was an extraordinary up-front statement, as it was in publicly accessible (in the Green Volumes) "policy."
There were plenty of examples of physical abuse originating from Hubbard, the Source of planetary enlightenment and salvation, but Sea Org members were often numb to it, not seeing it as physical abuse, since, most of the time, Hubbard, the Commodore, was not walking around overtly slapping people. "Commodores" usually don't slap people.
Even before Scientology, the violent "smash" mentality appears to have been present. Hubbard's first wife wrote of physical abuse, as did his second, however, according to court records, his second wife was also subjected to a combination of physical and mental abuse. In addition to that is an account from old timer John Sanborn:
"
Early on, before the divorce, he [Hubbard]
made this stupid attempt to get Sara brainwashed so she'd do what he said. He kept her sitting up in a chair, denying her sleep, trying to use black dianetics principles on her, repeating over and over again wherever he wanted her to do, things like, 'Be his wife, have a family that looks good, not have a divorce'."
As for Hubbard's third wife, there's no record of any physical abuse; she was abused in a different way.
It is somewhat odd that the primary complaint about Scientology, for some, seems to have become that its current dictator slaps and punches people.
Nevertheless, Jesse Prince, former senior Sea Org executive, had this to say regarding Hubbard's instructions to spit and slap as punishment. Even then it was mixed with a psychological element, "
Tell him that it was from Ron."
"
To make a long story short, I read an advice from L. Ron to Miss Cabbage ordering him to spit in John's [Aczel's]
face, and tell him that it was from Ron. Miss Cabbage complied with his order and reported the result. I saw the advice that came back to the compliance report of spitting in John face, and L. Ron was very pleased to hear the news, and escalate the situation by suggesting that someone should slap the hell out of John... Similar degrading actions were taken with David Mayo, and this soon spread to others deemed SPs..."
Further, according to Jesse Prince, from 1999:
"Miscavige is continuing to carry out LRH's orders...
"...Miscavige is doing his best to forward Command Intention, which is contained in the huge [confidential] LRH orders database of the INCOMM computer system of Scientology..."
http://www.ezlink.com/~perry/CoS/Theology/jesse.htm
John McMaster, "the world's first real Clear," interviewed in 1985, referring to the mid 1960s:
"He [Hubbard] got the technology to the point where he had a sort of assembly line as he called it. And he told me how he was putting all these 'square ball bearings' on the beginning of the assembly line, and then turning them into 'round ball bearings' at the other end. That was his idea of 'standard tech'."
McMaster went on to describe being made a galley hand by (then, Commodore) Hubbard, adding, "
Hubbard wanted to break me." Hubbard declared McMaster a Suppressive Person in 1969.
Following are a few of many examples of where cruelty in Scientology originated:
First, an excerpt from Russell Miller's interview of David Mayo, Class XII, from August 1986.
This excerpt concerns events from the late 1960s:
"He [Hubbard] could be capable of incredible cruelty. On the ship there was an old man on the Royal Scotman who he made push a peanut round the decks with his nose. He had to get down on his hands and knees, he had to go round the deck, quite a long distance in a race with one or two others also in trouble. The first one back got let off and the last one got a double penalty.
"It was really tough on this old guy, Charlie Reisdorf. The surface of the deck was very rough wood, prone to splinter, so after pushing peanuts with their noses, they all had raw, bleeding noses, leaving a trail of blood behind them. I not only saw it but the entire crew of the ship was mustered - a mandatory attendance - we were required to watch this punishment, to make an example of it for the rest of us. Reisdorf was in his late 50s probably. His two daughters were messengers, they were 11 or 12 at time and his wife was there also.
"It was hard to say which was worse to watch: this old guy with a bleeding nose or his wife and kids sobbing and crying at being forced to watch this. Hubbard was standing there calling the shots, yelling, 'Faster, Faster!'. It was indignity, degradation and breaking a person's will, and making people watch. It was disgusting...
"They used to have people locked in the chain locker, including small children. It was very dangerous because if the anchor started to slip and started running out, it would probably turn a body into a pulp in no time at all...
"He [LRH] had a birthday party on March 13, 1968; there was a woman who he ordered locked in the chain locker. During the party he had brought her out. She was filthy, covered with dirt and rust, and had not been allowed to wash or change clothes - she had been in there for a week... he brought her out to the party. He said he was giving her a reprieve and permitting her to come to the party, as if that was a nice gesture. She wasn't allowed to change. She was brought to the party and had to stay, and later was returned [to the chain locker]... it was flaunting her degradation...
"Why did people stand by?...
"From time to time, Hubbard would cancel such activities like the chain locker, and blame it on someone else... He would start such pronouncements with, 'It has just come to my attention...'
"The length of time for children would vary, but no one was less than a day...
"Reisdorf [peanut pushing] affair - if someone tried to do something, it would have made it worse. Hubbard said that maritime law prevailed... He said that under maritime law, he had total power over everyone on the vessel..."
And one brief excerpt concerning events from the late 1970s:
"He told me he was obsessed with an insatiable lust for power and money. He said it very emphatically. He thought it wasn't possible to get enough. He didn't say it as if it was a fault, just his frustration that he couldn't get enough."
And this from Alan Walter, Clear number 8, from a 2007 post:
"...Ron had Julia Salmon thrown overboard... Julia was [in her fifties], terribly overweight, and could not swim.
"The people who threw her overboard struggled to get her over the side; she was terrified; she kept crying out "I cannot swim!" On her way down she hit the side of the ship - I could hear her screams - it was obvious she was injured and drowning.
"The people on the deck all stood around too afraid to do anything. Fearing to originate any action less the become the target of LRHs displeasure.
"I ran and jumped over the side and rescued her. I then pulled her over to the ladder that led up to the ground level of the dock........it was about 20 feet straight up. She could not climb the steps. I had my shoulders under her butt pushing her up..... no one still had come to help.......but at the top of that ladder stood LRH filming us.....such evil.......
"Anyway after an immense struggle with Julia's help I was able to push her up to the top of the ladder....finally some help arrived.
"Over the years the unthinkable thought pushed forward more and more....it was 'that I observe that LRH was demonic at that time'. I did not want to know that, did not want to believe that.......that was too incredible to be believed - even for me - I did the usual make nothing of myself....'you're seeing things' 'what do you know' 'you've got overts' - much easier to blame self than confront what is..."
Has Miscavige watched Hubbard's overboard films? It wouldn't be surprising if he has.
As for abortions, I know of no policy, but there is Hubbard instruction and "scripture" denigrating the importance of family, and gleefully announcing abortions "at will," through psycho-kinetic OT abilities - "just make sure the tube opens," etc.
There would also likely be Hubbard instructions in the from of confidential orders, which are now confidential "scripture."
Note: Hubbard's, often quoted by PR people, comments on abortion, in 1950 Dianetics, were about attempted (unsuccessful) abortions.
If any of this seems confusing see the Scientological Onion and Hubbard's Law of Commotion.
This is SOLD to the PUBLIC and STAFF for TONS of cold, hard CASH! 
Now you are trapped - very similar to the MAFIA! Just look at Debbie Cook and Maria Pia Gardini! 
Poor Debbie...at least she is out but she sure needs to make up the damage quickly! 
