Just to make things clear, I do believe that Eloise made her choice.
Nice to find some common ground :) i have a feeling it wont last long...
My point however is that she was not entirely free to make that choice due to tremendous pressure from her group had she gone the other way.
See, that didnt last long. now you have reversed course. Either she made a choice or not. She was entirely free. We know this because, as you said, she choose. That you disagree with the choice or would have choosen differently does not negate that she choose.
People make poor medical and financial choices every day. They make these choices based on factors that may seem strange or downright stupid to us, but they made them anyway. It was their right to make them and to be stupid, if they wish. Thats freedom. Its a bitch.
You are suggesting that individuals freedom should be stripped and people forced in your mold... in the name of freedom.
It is not because the victim has the ability to free himself/herself that as a society, we should ignore the abusers who are making their lives miserable. Like we would not ignore an abusive husband, in a similar manner, we should not ignore abusive elders.
And now you have exposed your real problem. You are laying the organizations blood policy at the feet of “abusive elders”. Elders no more make policy than ministerial servants or pioneers. I dont know your story and im not asking, but it sounds like you were done wrong by some local yahoos and now want to hold “elders” accountable for all wrongs ever done.
Elders have no power to make people choose. The organization doesnt either. Empower people to make smart choices and stop excusing bad ones. Nobody benefits from being told they had no choice when they in fact had ALL the choices.