AJWRB Newsletter

I believe the one incident that turned me away from the Witnesses and their blood issue was when I was an EMT during the 70s. I was a JW born and raised in the religion. I drove an ambulance in the Bronx, NYC. One day we responded to an horrific car accident and the patient we carried on our rig was young beautiful 26 year old mother of two. She was suffering from multiple bodily traumas. I had no idea she was a JW.

Being unconscious the patient could not communicate with us or the ER staff. The ER staff immediately set up a plasma feed and started to work on her. Before they could get under way her husband and a couple of the Witnesses barged into the ER and demanded that he plasma line be removed and that no blood be given what so ever. They made such a scene
that hospital security had to be called. To make a long story short, they didn't give her the much needed blood and she died 3 hours later. I will never forget the smug looks on the faces of those so called Christian JWs. I eventually disassociated myself some 10 years later because of this and other policies that just didn't wash with me.

MP

My mother was a JW, and died recently from not taking blood. She was very anemic (with a blood count of 7, blood pressure of 80/30 when she walked into the hospital). Doctors warned her that she would have a heart attack, which she did within 3 days as she lacked enough oxygen to sustain her heart muscle. She nor her doctors nor the congregation's brothers knew the new WT policy would allow her to take hemoglobin or hemopure.

I am a Law Student, and think that there is a potential for a Clergy Malpractice suit. My Law Professor, who teaches tort (negligence law), medical ethics, and is on Florida State University's College of Medicine Board, agrees. The Society created a "Duty of Care" when it pronounced and preached its "No Blood" policy. The "No Blood" mantra has "stuck" in the minds of the followers and medical community. The Society "Breached their Duty of Care by "quietly backing off" that policy (emphasis on quietly). Their new policy should be a LOUD and CLEAR. From what I've gathered, the Society: 1) hasn't told its followers the "Truth" of 97% and 2) didn't effectively tell the medical community. Instead, the Society made misleading pronouncements and news media releases which makes the "allowed" parts seem frivolous. The Society did set up liaisons, brothers educated in Society blood policy. From my knowledge, the liaisons haven't proactively met with hospital boards or hematology departments to disseminate this information. Hence, both my mother, her doctors, and hospital were ignorant. The Society's "hiding" their blood change was the "Proximate Cause" of her death.

I've contacted an attorney, the best there is on religious organization tort lawsuits in Florida, who is considering taking the case, especially as a class action on behalf of other deceased followers and their families. Do you have any information on whether other people have tried a similar lawsuit? However, the more people who respond, the more likely my attorney will take the case. In particular, we need to add a Florida resident who died from refusing a blood transfusion due to misunderstanding the Society. Winning this court case will be an uphill battle, as U.S. courts give deference to our "Freedom" of Religion. But, maybe a class action lawsuit will be the key. We are not attacking the JW's on their religious beliefs, only the lack of effectively communicating those beliefs. How do I get my plea on the net? (However, I'd like to keep my name anonymous until papers are filed in court).

The points raised here relate to my concerns about the No Blood Card as follows:

To the best of my knowledge the WS has never brought mainstream medicine into the process of informing members about the pros and cons of blood as part of the card signing process. As a physician I have informed refusal/consent standards to meet whereas the WS "laces' their rhetoric against blood with so-called medical information that is quite different than the information a qualified physician would provide - yet there apparently are no informed refusal standards that they have to satisfy. Therefore with regard to the NO BLOOD CARD, in effect, the informed refusal process is being done by the WS (clergy) rather than a physician because when the patient gets to the hospital they are unconscious or otherwise lack decision making capacity.

If this person's legal case turns into something serious I will speak with their attorney; however, please don't pass my name on until and unless the case actually becomes real.

Also I have read that a prehospital trial exists using a HBOC (hemopure I think). Has the WS taken a position on JWs participating ? This is an emergency exception to consent trial so the patients do not have decision making consent.

Physician and Attorney who follows this issue

I appreciate your site. I have had my own experience with the blood issue. My husband was in a severe accident and required 23 red cell transfusions within 10 hours, about 7 years ago. I was not baptized as a JW at the time and neither was my husband but we were shunned by my jw family over this.

Keep up your wonderful work! I know of more than one jw who has benefited from reading your info and many lives have been helped.

Donna

I was given your email address by C.H. She suggested that you may be able to provide me some info. Just to summarize my situation, my wife narrowly escaped death after loosing massive amounts of blood following delivery of our 2nd son. She is still in intensive care and will finally be brought out of her induced coma this week after hanging on by a shoestring for 2 weeks.

She is a Jehovah's Witness and had signed a directive refusing blood transfusions so my hands have been tied while the Hospital Liaison committee and other JWs have really been involving themselves in the whole process. Not being a JW I have gone through many feelings of anguish, intrusion, and anger with regard to the JW people and organization over this.

The JWs are making strong assertions which discredit the hospital staff as being ill-equipped for "bloodless medical treatment" while giving the Hospital Liaison committee much of the credit for saving her life by providing needed information and guidance. They even assert that her serious condition could have been avoided had the committee been contacted sooner. Anyway I know these assertions are false and it's part of my frustration.

I know that she will be bombarded with this kind of info as she recovers and will probably receive much praise from her 'brothers and sisters' (including her one JW sibling) for making a stand for Jehovah. It is my strong desire to express facts with her in a proper way within the next few weeks to perhaps balance this out. Of course my ultimate desire is for her to have the ability to think freely on all matters and I fear that this ordeal has the potential to push her in the opposite direction. I would be interested to know about the reaction that many committed JWs had after going this kind of thing. Thank you for any advice and guidance in this matter.

P.S. I have been to the AJWRB site and have found it very helpful and informative. The only problem is that I don't quite know how I could relay such eye-opening info to my wife without appearing in-league with Satan and evil apostates.

Thank you for your recent email. We are very sorry to learn of your ordeal and relieved to learn that your wife and son have survived. As you surely appreciate, these situations are quite complex. They develop very quickly and emotions run high. Even in situations where the JW patient wants some prohibited medical treatment, it can be very difficult for them to obtain it due to the efforts congregation elders or HLC members.

The AJWRB web site is full of factual information that you can use to educate your wife but its important to understand (as you seem to be aware) that the typical JW will have an emotional and frequently irrational response to any information that contradicts what they have been taught by the Watchtower Society. The primary reason for this, in my opinion, has to do with programmed phobias. (Fear of destruction, fear of apostasy, fear of shunning, fear of contamination, etc).

Now that your wife has survived her ordeal, it seems highly unlikely to me that she will be very open to considering a different view. A good place for you to start would be here:

http://www.freedomofmind.org/

Assuming that her life is no longer in jeopardy, you will need to carefully educate yourself and take things very slow. Ultimately, you may well conclude that is impractical to shake her from her beliefs and you will simply have to acceptor wife and her irrational and dangerous belief system. A more thorny issue will be medical issues involving your children.

Please be assured of our best wishes.

Warmest regards,

Lee Elder

AJWRB

The following response is from Steven Hassan and is related to the above:

Dear Lee Elder and Mr. XXXXXXXX

I suggest reading some of the excerpts of Releasing the Bonds on my web site, and then read the actual book- but do not tell your wife that you are researching this. If you are interested in a consultation, fill out the form on my web site (click on "Help for Someone Else" and call my assistant Debra and set up a telephone time. There are ways to help people to reevaluate. That is my specialty.

Steve Hassan
--------------------------------------------------------
Steven Alan Hassan M.Ed. LMHC, NCC center@freedomofmind.com
Freedom of Mind Resource Center Inc. http://www.freedomofmind.com

The following response is from a physician who follows this issue and is related to the above experience:

What amazes me is that there does not seem to be any "standard of care" for the WTS when they take a JW through the process of refusing blood. There will probably come a time when this whole issue will be moot both because "artificial" blood and blood products will become standard and the WS will also water their doctrine down so much that all of the "artificial" products will be acceptable. This could happen in ten years or fifty years. In the meantime your organization should keep its eyes open for a test legal case such as the one that this man's wife went through but where the patient died or suffered a severe disability. The WTS should be held accountable for their "process" of consent/refusal just as physicians and hospitals are. And we already know that the NO Blood Card signing process does not satisfy medical informed refusal standards (unless something has changed in the past few years).

M.D.

Did AJWRB consult a legal expert on the field of ecclesiastical disciplinary jurisdiction to find out if there is any basic difference between both actions, in the sense that the ‘offender’ has a possibility to initiate legal proceedings against the WTS in case he is disassociated?

R.S.

No - there has not been any attempt to look at that angle. With blood transfusions, the new policy is that no one is disfellowshipped for taking blood or a prohibited blood products anymore. They simply are unilaterally disassociating themselves by choosing to do so. I don't think the average JW has any idea what the policy is with respects to this issue.

This is similar to how matters are handled when a JW joins the military. The difference here is that the WT holds out the possibility of forgiveness for the sinner in the matter of blood. The determination of repentance requires the opinion or judgment of a group of elders so we have some mental gymnastics at work.

It's a judicial matter but its not a judicial matter. Very tortured logic and I wouldn't be surprised if legal proceedings could be brought in some jurisdictions but that is for a lawyer to say.

I am a Roman Catholic taking Bible study from Jehovah's Witnesses. Even I feel that the Bible, when it speaks about abstaining of blood, it speaks with the context of EATING BLOOD AND NOT TAKING IN BLOOD THROUGH VEINS AS THERE WAS NO BLOOD TRANSFUSION AT THAT TIME. I wonder what made JW's bring this belief that Jehovah God does not permit blood transfusion. If Jehovah God does not permit blood transfusions then it means he is happy or he takes delight when a JW suffers and dies by refusing blood transfusion!

AF

I need your help. My JW brother has read your site. He is aware that I left the Watchtower over the blood issue many years ago. He read and was very surprised that Hemopure was approved by the Watchtower, but he is naturally suspicious that this may be a lie put out by disgruntled former members. How can my brother hear from the lips of a JW official or elder that the Watchtower has indeed approved Hemopure to be used as to the conscience of
a JW? Could he call Brooklyn and find this out?

JA

Yes - he could call and speak with someone from H.I.S. (Hospital Information Services).
He might simply tell someone at the WT that he wants to know whether or not he can use a hemoglobin based blood substitute like Hemopure or Polyheme. (718) 560-5000

I am crying, yes I just read your e-mail and I am crying, you really touched my heart. And do you know how?...with just these simple words: “I have been where you are now. It is uncomfortable - even distressing. You will get through it and life will be good again. Keep a clean conscience - you remind me of myself."

I felt really understood and true concern from you. You don’t know how good it is to share and discover that people went through distressing times and made it, becoming better persons, and closer to Jehovah.

Thank you from the deepest of my heart, your words were so so appreciated and needed, Jehovah really provides at the right time. Today a new chapter of my life has started. I will really meditate on what you said.

Jonathan

I wasn't sure if I should write this email or not. First of all, I think you people have gone great lengths on your research. It is amazing. I just came across your site a few weeks ago, only by wanting to do more research myself on filling out the medical directive and power of attorney documents. I was not satisfied with JUST the Society's information. I could not yet with a good and honest conscience sign the documents stating it is my 'full conviction' and that I 'voluntarily and free from compulsion' make an 'informed decision'. The only informed decision that I made is not wanting to fill out the documents in the first place! My wife for example is SO CONVINCED that to 'abstain from blood' means just that! And she is certain of it that if she would need a transfusion, she would rather die, because that is what God would want from her. But still to this day, her documents aren't filled out either. I know my wife. I know she doesn't LIKE to study, or to do research, or for that matter to learn. She hates the words 'teach' and 'learn'.

Your site caught my attention only because my sister-in-law (which is partly the reason why my wife is so caught up in the emotions of this whole subject) was just in a really bad car accident several months ago. She was half dead. She was also 8 1/2 months pregnant. Of course she lost the baby. Her husband, (which by the way both are JW's) had allowed the doctors to administer (four) blood transfusions. She has recovered fine and fast. Like I said, this happened beginning of November. She was back at work in the middle of January and is driving by herself now! Her lightning fast recovery is amazing!

Okay. I have read just about everything on this site. It makes sense. And have read the stories in the mailbag. And in the meantime have discovered many other things about the Society (the UN scandal, Rand Cam technologies, PM Riley, etc.) that I am not quite sure if I should believe or not. But my only question then is: If we had believed that the WTS is really God's organization, and that JW's have the true religion, but some have commented saying they don't want to go to the meetings any longer because the Society has not yet changed their views on blood like they have many times in the past. If the society IS in fact absolutely wrong on this subject, WHO is directing the organization? Who DOES have all the right answers then?
Just in the past week my wife and I have separated because she thinks I am now a 'spiritual danger' to her. She grew up as a JW, I on the other hand had not. One elder and two ministerial servants have come to see me. I tell them what is bothering me. They ALL have told me the same thing, that it is ultimately MY decision whether or not I will except a blood transfusion. When I express my feelings toward the fact that I probably would NOT be repentant of my decision, they did not elaborate on the matter, as if it weren't true that I would be in danger of losing my relationship with Jehovah, ultimately condemning myself.

I am confused and do not know what to believe any more. On the one side 'they' tell me not to believe 'you' and vise versa. I do not know who to turn to. The major problem is that I know I am a logical thinking, reasonable minded kind of person. What 'they' tell me goes against my logical reasoning capabilities; what 'you' tell me agrees with the way I logically think. But somewhere deep inside I know that if I continue to think this way, my marriage is doomed. My wife cannot bare it. It is ironic that she absolutely and faithfully trusts the Society in practically all matters (even when it doesn't make any sense whatsoever), yet she will NOT listen to me when I find something in the Society's very own publications to help reason with her. She closes (quite literally) her ears to me. It is as if she is 'programmed' not to listen to ANYTHING that might cast doubt on the Society's authority. I find it biased thinking and self damaging (by that I mean that you literally LOSE your own self, your capability to think on your own, make decisions, etc.). So, if you might have a clue as to what I should do with my new-found knowledge, I would greatly appreciate any recommendations. Even if based on those suggestions I have to suffer the consequences of such. I am already hurt deeply that my wife is more loyal to the Society than to me.

Sincerely,

RH

I am at present taking bible study with Jehovah's Witnesses. As soon as I am confirmed after asking a doctor whether taking blood in mouth is same as taking blood by veins and depending on the answer I feel I should make my position clear to them because a human life is involved in this and LIFE is a gift of GOD. But at the same time I would like to continue attending meetings and book studies as except the Blood Transfusion all other beliefs are true. Can you advice me as to what I should do ???

JF

My name is FXXXX. I'm am a JW with a lot of doubts about the organization we belong to. Firstly, I had my doubts about the blood issue from long ago. I couldn't seem to find a plausible explanation for why we can decide whether or not receive blood components but the issue of whole blood is decided for us. Sounds like nit-picking to me. More and more I am seeing JW's and the WTS as a set of nit picking legalist. I see them now as a group that TRIES to be DELIBERATELY different at any cost. "We don't do this or that so we are different from you" etc., etc. I really and truly think that they plan to abolish the blood doctrine but they have to do it little by little, component by component! If ever they were to do it all at once what an uproar that would cause!

My wife and I (30 years each in the organization) have recently left the 'truth'. Primary to that is that it seems that very little 'truth' is there now, if it ever was! This has left us very alone in the world, as of witness stature we never made any friends, just as we were told. We, at the start, determined that we would hold to the truths we had learned as basic doctrine. But we are quickly realizing that most or all that we were taught and held to was foolish and mostly unbiblical. I have only recently began to look at the matter of interest to your site, blood and it's medical uses. I am beginning to get an education, and I thank you and your fellows for the efforts you are making here to get correct information to those of us yearning to find such.

Jeff

I have been visiting your AJWRB web site now for almost 4 years, reading your material and obtaining much needed information. I am an inactive JW living in Canada, baptized since over 20 years, and now occasionally attend the Sunday meetings.

I very much appreciate your work and the information on blood you are making aware to the JWs worldwide. I would like to help in one way that I can.

I noticed you have your web site partly translated in various languages, including Italian. I am quite well knowledgeable of Italian and also have a recent WTS CD. I would like to offer my services to translate your English language articles into Italian. Please let me know if you are interested.

I talked to an elder friend of mine in XXXXXX, not too long ago, and he said that not only do elders disassociate someone for taking a blood transfusion (due to the current headquarters’ policy), but they've been instructed to only determine if someone needs to be disassociated, and are instructed NOT to meet with anyone taking a blood transfusion or other prohibited blood parts to see if they are “repentant,” but simply to determine if they've committed the act! OK, just what does that mean? – If someone makes a mistake, “Older Men” cant “snatch them out of the fire?” I don’t understand!

Thank you so much for your site, information, etc., and true insight on the blood issue! I wish things would change soon with our organization, but according to Jesus, the “wheat and weeds” would grow up together, until the “harvest.” The Society says that took place in 1919! Well, I don’t believe this! I don’t believe you believe this either! We have TOO MANY WEEDS in our organization for this to be true! This explains why “they” have a hard time changing! Anyway, this tells me that God is not dealing with any one religion or organization right now, but will correct matters shortly (through his Son) or in his due time (which may or may not be in our lifetime).

Anyway, I’d love to get a copy of the most recent elder letter regarding disassociating those taking a blood transfusion (without meeting with the “sinner” to see if they are “repentant”).

A side note, can you quote a chapter/verse regarding “DA’ing” someone vs. “DF’ing” someone regarding the blood issue (or any other “sin”)? Or can you quote me something from the Bible that instructs “Elders” to form a “judicial committee” to “DF” or “DA” someone? OK, I’m all ears here! Do you know of any book/chapter/verse in the Bible that contains such instructions (what a novel idea—see what the Bible actually says)? If I’ve missed something, then please instruct me otherwise! I’m waiting with keen anticipation!

Take care! Thank you so much for your site, direction, and support! Wish the best for you and yours! Hope we can meet-up some time!

Your “brother,”

JW (still attending, but greatly distressed! Struggling!)

I have made an "online" translation of updated AJWRB web pages. See on Czech language pages - http://www.krev.info

Czech Republic

Substitute blood may be tested in traumas