Posted by Rosetta on March 16, 1999 at 16:11:39 {MWzTYG71K1CUs}:
Hi All,
Recently there's been much activity here in Queensland, Australia as the Queensland Government legislated to make a Power of Attorney document for adults to sign on medical matters. The Australian Branch has gotten hold of a copy and altered it to suit Jehovah's Witnesses.
Each document has been re-printed and sent out to each baptised witness. The document however has certain
questions already ticked and answered for the witness, ie: on the blood issue.
Q.2 If I temporarily lose capacity and am unable to give directions for my health care because of injury or illness, I want my helath-care providers to give me:
a) all available treatment
b) all available treatment
except for: the administration of a blood transfusion (whole blood, red cells, white cells, platelets, or blood plasma)for which I refuse consent.
Please see Clause 6 where I have given additional directions
Question 2(b) is already ticked within the printing of the document and cannot be removed!
Q.6 Describe here how your religious beliefs might affect your treatment (for example: "Because of my religious beliefs, I do not want to receive
any blood transfusions or organ transplants:);
I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and, out of obedience to commands in the Bible, such as: "Keep abstaining.... from blood" (Acts 15:28,29), I direct that no blood transfusions (whole
blood, red cells, white cells, platelets, or blood plasma) be given to me under any circumstances, even if physicians deem such necessary to preserve my life or health. I will accept non-blood volume expanders (such as Dextran, saline
solution, Ringer's lactate, gelatin, Hetastarch, or Haemaccel) and other non-blood medical management. This directive is an exercise of my statutory and common-law right to accept or to refuse medical treatment in accord with my deeply
held values and convicitions. I also know that there are various dangers associated with blood transfusions. I have
decided to avoid such dangers and, instead, to accept whatever risks may seem to be involved in my choice
of
alternative non-blood medical management.
I direct that I do not accept pre-and intra-operative storage of blood for later reinfusion (autologous or autotransfusion) under any circumstances.
Once again Q6 is answered
for the Witness... The same pattern follows throughtout the document, with key questions regarding blood treatment already ticked and
text added by the Watchtower Society of Australia....
Thus showing that each Witness signing this document has NOT HAD FREEDOM OF CHOICE.
The Watchtower society of Australia have been quite deceitful to it's members and the public at large.
After an article appeared in the press last week regarding this abovementioned document, with the heading :-
"Blood Oath Death Risk"
One of the Branch Committe Member and Elder,
W.M. (Max) Lloyd, .... wrote a reply letter to the Report in Brisbane Sunday Mail with the following: -
LEGAL CHOICE ON MEDICAL TREATMENT
"On behalf of the more than 60,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Australia I would like to reply to the article "Blood Oath Death Risk" (Mar'7).
The 24 page form referred to is an advance health directive, a legal
document produced by the Queensland
Government, pursuant to the Powers of Attorney Act 1988.
Every adult resident of Queensland has the right to avail himself of this legal provision to state his wishes regarding medical treatment.
This document covers a whole range of matters related to health, such as organ transplants, life-support
systems, religious beliefs that affect a patient's treatment, and so on. It is well known Jehovah's Witnesses do not
accept blood transfusion and blood products. This document is a legal means whereby competent adults can set out their wishes in writing.
There is absolutely no coercion for Witnesses to complete this document. To say, as the article does, that they have "been told to return the signed forms to their religious elders or risk disfellowship" (excommunication) is a false statement.
The oft-repeated idea that blood transfusion is "life-saving" ignores the possibility of contracting any one of a number of blood-borne, death-dealing diseases. Surely patients have the right to decline such a questionable and risky procedure?"
We all know that Jehovah's Witnesses do not have blood or blood products
because it is THE WATCHTOWER'S
claim it goes against God's law..!
God's law forbids the "eating" of blood (Lev 17).
THE WATCHTOWER HAVE ALWAYS STATED THAT THEIR REFUSAL OF BLOOD TRANSFUSION IS ON SCRIPTURAL GROUNDS, AND NOT MEDICAL
GROUNDS. For this Bethel member to throw a red
herring like this is absolutely deceitful. He should be brought to task for deceiving, lying and misleading more than 60,000 Jehovah's Witnesses and the public at large in Australia.
All letters can go to the Editor of the Brisbane Sunday Mail - www.news.com
They need to be inundated with letters informing the newspaper that W.M Lloyd speaking in behalf of the Watchtower
Society of Australia blatantly lied and it's in
print.
A further newspaper article appeared this week and can be seen at: http://www.uq.net.au/~zzmstefa/JWBBO.htm
Finally the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commision of Australia quotes that it will be illegal for any religion to use coercion, and deprive contact with family and friends and other forms of abuse and mistreatment. This could include shunning!
Agape Rosetta