Quebec Canada - Court Authorizes Blood Transfusion for JW Baby

by OrphanCrow 12 Replies latest watchtower medical

• 

  OrphanCrow

  The Jehovah's Witnesses are facing a lot of negative exposure in Quebec over the blood ban. Two maternal deaths recently due to the blood ban and now this. JW patients willing to sacrifice their child. For their own salvation.

  There is nothing like the life of a baby being put at needless risk to get the public's emotions riled up.

  https://sivertimes.com/jehovahs-witness-the-court-authorises-blood-transfusion-to-a-baby-despite-the-refusal-of-parents/53315

  JEHOVAH’S WITNESS: THE COURT AUTHORISES BLOOD TRANSFUSION TO A BABY DESPITE THE REFUSAL OF PARENTS
  GUY MARTEL / QMI AGENCY
  Nicolas Saillant
  Friday, 14 July 2017 17:44
  UPDATE
  Friday, 14 July 2017 17:44
  The superior Court has allowed the doctors of the Mother-Child Centre (CHUL) to do a blood transfusion to a baby born despite the refusal of Jehovah’s witness parents.
  The “baby-daughter” of the parents of the region of Bellechasse, Jehovah’s witnesses, was born with an abdominal mass, which requires an emergency operation according to the doctors. The parents were open to the trade as such, but refused any blood transfusion during the operation.
  Due to the risk of death if the emergency operation had not taken place, the CHUL is, therefore, addressed to the superior Court on Wednesday, the day after the birth, to be able to proceed despite the notice of the parents.
  “The right to life and security of the child of the defendants should take precedence over the freedom of their religious belief”, argued the lawyers of the Mother-Child Centre quoted by Radio-Canada. The judge acquiesced to the request.
  The operation will be performed and blood transfusions may therefore be carried out, if necessary, by the physicians of the new-born.
• 

  OrphanCrow

  The story from RadioCanada CBC:

  (in French)

  http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1045360/un-bebe-peut-etre-transfuse-sans-laccord-des-parents-temoins-de-jehovah
  
• 

  steve2

  Court interventions give JW parents a welcome way out of sacrificing their child on the altar of JW Organization.

  When this happens in New Zealand, the parents appear to accept the Court injunction and do not speak out against it. I think it speaks to a kind of relief that they now do not need to oppose blood transfusions once the Courts intervene.

  Best of both worlds:

  Seen as being "true" to their beliefs but barely bating an eyelid when the medical professionals call for Court intervention.
• 

  OrphanCrow

  steve2: Best of both worlds

  For them. They are the ones who get that "best of both worlds". At everybody else's expense and at the risk of the court action not being fast enough and the baby dying while the legal wheels grind. Which has happened many, many times.

  The cost to the medical professionals, emotionally and psychologically, and the legal professionals, can be devastating sometimes. Not to mention the $ cost that a legal action requires.

  And still, those parents will give their loyalty to a corporate religion and risk the life of their child all for the sake of that promised "paradise".

  Best of both worlds? Maybe not...they sure don't have the backbone to ensure that their child has the best in this world.
• 

  OrphanCrow

  And here is the really sad, and horrific, part - there are lots and lots of JW babies and children who have been subjected to transfusion-free surgical procedures. Lots.

  https://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=pediatric+jehovah&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&oq=pediatr

  In spite of some JW babies being lucky enough to encounter a medical team that places the baby's health and well being above the superstitious beliefs of the parents, there are many doctors who willingly agree to uphold the parent's religious convictions.

  And just think of all the babies born to JW mothers who give birth in bloodless clinics that are staffed with JWs nurses and doctors. Do you think those babies get a court intervention? Do you think anyone hears about those babies who don't get blood?
• 

  fukitol

  Bloodless clinics staffed with JW nurses and doctors?

  What on earth do you mean by that? What clinics, where?
• 

  Finkelstein

  What I'd like to see occur is JW parents who let their child die by refusing proper medical treatment face abandonment and neglectful abuse of a child who they're are legally responsible for.

  manslaughter in other words.

  That would certainly create a lot of attention by the public and JWS as well.
  
• 

  OrphanCrow

  fukitol: Bloodless clinics staffed with JW nurses and doctors?
  What on earth do you mean by that? What clinics, where?

  Across the States.

  The Bloodless Clincs/Centers that started being established across the States in the mid to late 90s, were all started by Jehovah's Witnesses. Mostly HLC members who had received "special training" to become bloodless coordinators or administrators. Over time, as the patient blood management movement took hold, those JW HLC fellows, now promoted to "bloodless coordinator/administrator/specialist/expert", have recruited outside of the "faith" to add to the numbers of the "bloodless" cult.

  In addition, the bloodless world has many Jehovah's Witness doctors and nurses who have been instrumental in promoting the bloodless movement worldwide.

  I have lots of information on this, fukitol, but it will take me awhile to put something together.

  In the meantime, you might want to search for threads on Sherry Ozawa, Axel Hofmann, Shannon Farmer, Dr. Seeber...there are more. Lots more
• 

  OrphanCrow

  Finkelstein: What I'd like to see occur is JW parents who let their child die by refusing proper medical treatment face abandonment and neglectful abuse of a child who they're are legally responsible for.
  manslaughter in other words.
  That would certainly create a lot of attention by the public and JWS as well

  That has happened. Except it happened so long ago that hardly anyone knows about it - 1959. And it was in Australia.

  http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/bloode.html
  

  
  VICTORIA v. ALVIN LEONARD JEHU was AUSTRALIA'S FIRST CRIMINAL PROSECUTION of a Jehovah's Witness Parent for refusing to provide consent for blood transfusions needed by their child who eventually died. In January 1959, the Jehus FOURTH child needed an exchange blood transfusion due to complications from Rh factor incompatibility between the mother and child. For two days, newborn Stephen Jehu clung to life as doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators at Queen Victoria Hospital futilely begged Alvin L. Jehu, age 28, and his unidentified JW Wife, of East Preston, to give them consent to perform the required life-saving blood transfusions.
  Thereafter, the State of Victoria indicted Alvin Leonard Jehu on charges of MANSLAUGHTER. In March 1960, a jury convicted Alvin Jehu of manslaughter, but also recommended "mercy" regarding his sentence. Jehu was sentenced to 5 years in prison, but that sentence was instantly probated, and Jehu was released on a 5-year "good behavior" bond.
  Undoubtedly at the behest of the WatchTower Society, Jehu filed an appeal based on the alleged violation of his religious rights, and the alleged violation of his rights as a parent to choose the best medical care for his children. (During the trial, Jehu had testified that he genuinely believed that blood transfusions actually were physically "dangerous" based on the "medical evidence" presented in WatchTower Cult publications.) Appeal not found. The WatchTower Society PRAISED the Jehus in an AWAKE! magazine article published later in 1960.
  The positive from this well-publicized MURDER was that Australia's hospitals became aware and were motivated to petition local courts for legal intervention in such scenarios. Prior to this case, there had been scattered instances of hospitals seeking court intervention, but such was the exception rather than the rule, and the result had been multiple deaths of children of Jehovah's Witness parents across Australia during the 1950s.
  In December 1960, the State of Victoria passed the BLOOD TRANSFUSION ACT OF 1960, which amended the Medical Act of 1958, to hold that a competent medical technician who administers a blood transfusion to a person under the age of 21 was considered to have been authorized by a person capable of such authorization when such person has refused or otherwise is unavailable to do so, and when two physicans have agreed that such transfusion is medically necessary.

  Six decades of court cases involving minor children: http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/bloode.html

  Cases involving mature minors: http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/blood1.html

  Cases involving pregnant women and their unborn children: http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/blood2.html

  Cases involving adult children: http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/blood4.html

  Parental obligations cases 1950s/60s: http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/blood4.html

  
  

  
  
• 

  OrphanCrow

  As much as these news stories get the public's attention (for a second or two...), the babies who don't get the same attention, as I mentioned earlier, are the babies who are treated by the "bloodless experts".

  There was a Canadian court case involving JW babies back in 2007 and Dr. Shander, the Watchtower's bloodless hero, testified:

  "What we do is try to approach the patient from a different scenario. ... we will make sure that their blood level is brought up before surgery," he said. "We will collect every drop of blood during surgery ... and we can return all the products back to them later on."
  Machines that recycle a patient's own blood and drugs that reduce the need for transfusions are among the techniques used.
  Dr. Shander said he's used the approach on a wide variety of patients - including premature babies born to parents who are Jehovah's Witnesses, a religion that forbids blood transfusions.

  Babies, those little people with tiny little bodies, are valuable to the development of bloodless surgical methods.

  When I read Dr. Cooley's memoirs, he spoke of this. He spoke of how some innovations in heart surgery became possible because of doing them on babies first. Not only are infant surgeries sometimes a 'Hail Mary', and therefore, anything and everything becomes a possible remedy, but a baby has less blood to deal with.

  In bloodless surgery, the patient's blood is handled and processed in ways that their blood isn't in conventional surgery. In bloodless surgery, the patient's blood is drained (and/or collected), processed, and stored until it is re-transfused back into their body. With an adult, there is a lot of blood for the technicians and equipment to handle. With a baby...there isn't nearly as much blood to deal with.

  Babies have been targeted for bloodless surgery development since way back in the 60s and 70s. And it has happened in Canada with the cooperation of Canadian medical doctors (and the impetus of threatened legal action if they didn't cooperate) and was facilitated with the JWs' hospital squad of the time. Bolstered with the pediatrics version of their "Alternatives to Blood Transfusion" book.

  I know that the Watchtower's bloodless movement targeted babies. My baby was one of them back in 1974.