The Hospital Liaison Committee

by Quillsky 3 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  Quillsky

  Please post any experiences with the HLC here. Have you ever interacted with them? Are your relatives members of the HLC? And my big questions are....

  DOES the Hospital Liaison Committee put patients under pressure not to accept whole blood transfusions?

  DOES the Hospital Liaison Committee present details on ALL blood fraction options that are currently "allowed" by Jehovah's Witnesses to doctors, patients and their family members? (I certainly haven't yet been able to find the "complete JW's guide to blood fractions" online.)

  And since accepting blood is not a disfellowshipping offense according to the Watchtower Society (yeah right?), DOES the Hospital Liaison Committee report acceptance of transfusions, of any kind, back to the patient's congregation or to the Watchtower Society?

  This quote is from the site ..... http://www.noblood.org/news-hot-topics-such-hepatitis-c-sars-aids/6362-call-new-approach-transfusion-refusals.html

  Obstetrics professor Deirdre Murphy said hospital staff often became uncomfortable when members of the Jehovah’s Witness hospital liaison committee came into the hospital. The perception was that they were putting the patient under pressure.

  I would like to understand the role of the HLC more fully. I also hope Google picks up on this thread so that whatever facts or experiences people post here may be spread more widely to JW families facing the blood issue.
• 

  BluesBrother

  I am not and have never been on a HLC. I used to work closely (in my Service Group) with the local HLC elder, he had me conduct the group because of all his important work with the HLC. It really takes over.

  I guess they would be careful in their choice of words with a patient. If they were proven to have pressured them and they died, think of the law suit!

  BUT. The whole thing operates from an assumption that of course the Witness does not want blood. They never would, would they? So the not so subtle pressure is always there. Could a Witness "lose face" or dare admit that they were tempted to accept it?

  Would they report it if somebody did...You betcha they would! They ARE the authority governing the Witness patient.

  Re other fractions? I know that HLC members have a lot of material that is technical and not published in the WT . It is written in medical terms for the profession. They can contact Bethel anytime for more advice on a specific case. I have heard experiences of the HLC and London Bethel getting Brooklyn to fax to doctors relevant material about suitable treatments that ultimately saved a life without blood. Yes, there are success stories too.
• 

  Quillsky

  So there has to be a secret technical HLC manual. What a bonus it would be if someone could scan it and post it online.

  I'd also be intrigued to read about the scriptural basis for choosing which fractions are permitted and which aren't, since the scriptures only mention "blood".
• 

  blondie

  If you have questions about the HLCs, try emailing [email protected] or try sending a PM to Marvin Shilmer. Their website is www.ajwrb.org

  Some of the people that contribute to this website were on an HLC.