Perhaps this forum can serve as a place for some serious discussion regarding the direction that AJWRB will take in the coming months.

This document lays out proposed strategy and goals for AJWRB. We would like you to evaluate the contents and offer your views. Please give thought as to how you may be able to assist us in reaching these goals.

In order to formulate strategy and goals, we need accurate information and in lieu of that, we have to make certain assumptions. Access to accurate information regarding the exact thinking of various members of the Watchtower leadership would be very useful, but we simply don't possess it.

It seems that while there are some members in favor of further dismantling of the blood doctrine, they remain in the minority. Greater pressure is required to move more decision-makers into the reform/dismantling camp. Internal pressure, while helpful, is insufficient to spur the reforms we seek.

Our common goal remains the complete abolishment of the misguided policy on blood. There are certain objectives to be reached, strategy we must use, tactics to employ. Change is likely to come "piecemeal", as it has in the past.

We have already won a number of battles and our strategy should be to continue to rack up small victories. We have the high ground morally and ethically and we want to advance our agenda and build alliances with those who can assist us in "ratcheting" down the pressure on the men who run the Watchtower Society

We believe we must resist the temptation to suggest policy or strategy for the Watchtower Society. That is simply not our place. Our role is to educate Jehovah's Witnesses and anyone who will listen with regard to the destructive and irrational nature of Watchtower policy on blood.

We have the attention of certain segments of the medical community and our ability to influence this community is well established and could increase. Additional pressure needs to be brought to bear on the WTS by the medical community.

Attempts to open a direct line of communication with senior Watchtower officials have been unsuccessful. We believe this is due to the enormous risk associated with any connection to perceived "apostasy". There are no plans to expend any additional energy in this area. We will, however, continue to have some limited "back channel" conversations.

There are several legal issues that could be explored if funds were available or if we had access to competent counsel. These include violation of medical confidentiality, wrongful death, agency and torts. We don't see anyway to progress in this area at present and even if funds were available, we would need plaintiffs to come forward. If evidence of a staged strategic disentanglement policy to jettison the blood policy materialized, and we could demonstrate that Watchtower decision-makers no longer believed in their own policy, and have made a decision to slowly "gut" the policy in order to minimize the fall out, we would have to find some way to act on that. This would require an insider to come forward and provide documented evidence.

Based upon our knowledge of the current situation, we are suggesting the following strategic plan for AJWRB.

Goals

1. Host at least one medical convention in 2001 and each subsequent year.
2. Publish a major article in the American Ass. of Anesthesiologist's journal during 2001.
3. Submit an article for publication in a pediatric journal during 2001.
4. Shift the focus of the AJWRB website to children's issues. Explore linking the blood issue and molestation issues under the larger umbrella of child neglect in the WTS.
5. Attempt to move the Watchtower Victims memorial to AJWRB. David Reed/Comments from the Friends is apparently shutting down.
6. Call for the Watchtower to duplicate their Bulgarian policy of not issuing advance directives to Jehovah's Witness minors worldwide. Issue a press release.
7. Add a pediatrician to AJWRB's group of physician advocates.
8. Regularly exhibit at the Pediatric events.
9. Set up a toll free phone number for AJWRB.
10. When HemoPure is approved in the United States, mount a massive education campaign from hospital administrators to chaplains, surgeons to ER physicians, critical care nurses and the like, alerting them to the new treatment. We should go ahead and write at least some articles at this time so that they are ready to be quickly published.
11. Write an article for Hospital Administrators and Chaplains detailing the role of Hospital Visitation Committees and H.L.C. members as informants that breech medical confidentiality of Jehovah's Witness patients.
12. Provide a critical analysis of the WTS letter to all elder bodies and the outline provided for the service meeting part associated with the Health care power of attorney.
13. Provide a critical analysis of the new blood video.
14. Develop an article in conjunction with Steven Hassan to demonstrate how the WTS has planted phobias in the minds of JWs to prevent them from accepting needed blood therapy. Provide suggestions for physicians and family members.
15. Political action: Letter writing campaign's to U. S. House Committee on International Relations, European Commission/Court on Human Rights, and other promising European Governments. Some governments are already inclined to view the WTS as a dangerous sect and refuse to recognize it officially as well as tax it. We want to stress that the WTS is persecuting its own members by refusing to grant them basic rights like the right to privacy, medical confidentiality and autonomy when making life and death medical decisions. We want to communicate that members of the WTS loose the right to enjoy normal relations with their JW family members simply for expressing disapproval of the WTS policies on the use of blood transfusions or for refusing to let their child die by authorizing a blood transfusion.
16. Provide a new article that specifically answers the objection of some JW's that nothing has changed.

Hello LeeElder,

excellent information! The basic idea is
truly positive. I'll follow with my comments on the various points.

Thanks for your efforts,

Agape, J.C. MachHislopp

slipnslidemaster, the AJWRB is The Associated Jehovah's Witnesses for Reform on Blood and can be found at http://www.ajwrb.org/about.shtml

Lee, this may be a bit way out, but have you thought that if someone wrote a script regarding this issue for one of the popular TV series, it could get some attention? Just an idea that occurred to me, as a lot of people watch TV series.

mandy

Comf,
I may be wrong, but the connection I saw in that statement is general neglect of their children.
If a parent lost a child because of failing to give them the needed medical attention that could be crucial to saving their lives, this would IMO, be serious neglect!
Might be a stretch, but there does seem to be a connection. Although I see your point. No sense in looking like we are rabidly in pursuit of destroying their credibility any way we can.
Needs to thought out very carefully, obviously.
TW

I love your goals Lee...

One suggestion that I would add is to hit the JWs when they go into a community to get positive press for themselves. They usually do this in the summer in convention cities. I know in Lincoln, Nebraska they meet every summer and every summer the local paper usually does a positive piece about them.

What we could do, is get the local churches and other civic groups involved in a AJWRB Sponsored Blood Drive. We could explain to the paper that the JWs are not allowed to donate blood under fear of excommunication but they are allowed to accept certain blood fractions so we are donating blood for them. We could also get some anonymous JWs to donate blood who could interview with the local press and tell them about the shunning doctrine. If we do this during the summer conventions in every convention city here in the states and overseas, the Society will have to deal with this issue every time they talk to the press. This would be a Public Relations nightmare for them and I am sure they would get tired of it real quick. For groups like the JWs, image is everything. You can even talk about the child endangerment stuff at the same time. We could have silentlambs' group in on it too.

Just a suggestion...and I would be willing to help at least in Nebraska.

Jeff S.

jschwehm, I think that is a good idea. If it is successful in the United States, maybe it could then be carried out in other countries around the world. Just think what could be achieved with that sort of coverage.

esther

I think you realize that AJWRB has never been about "bringing down" the WTS. We're exploring some
linkage because these issues have a common thread - child neglect, child endangerment. You are quite
correct in your assessment. The linkage could be dangerous so we have to carefully evaluate the risks
and benefits.

The linkage could be as simple as reciprocal links or adding an article regarding the dangers children in the
the Watchtower Society are unnecessarily exposed to.

Thank you for your comments.

Lee

Skally

You wrote:

"My neighbor "Dr. Gordon" is a pediatric surgeon. We have discussed this issue of blood and parents he deals
with who are jws a few times. I will get his take on this and reply as soon as possible."

We would very much like to communicate with your neighbor, Dr. Gordon.

Best regards,

Lee

Hello again Lee,

I spoke to Gordon this morning and he says he is not able at this time to become involved.

However, I directed him to your site and email address. He has agreed to at least take a look at it.

This is a good thing, as he will become more aware of what your goals are.

Sincerely, sKally