by hubert 40 Replies latest watchtower medical
I was just thinking of this, because of my last post topic.
If the Watchtower changed their no blood policy to accepting whole blood, would and could that
open the flood gates for law suits from jdubs that sacrificed their children for the Tower, or would
they still be protected by law because it is a "religion"?
Hubert
They changed their policies on organ transplants in 1980 and I don't remember a rash of court cases.
Blondie, Do you know of any cases at all that went to court for the organ transplant issue?
Also, I thought the organ transplant thing happened way back, probably in the 50' or 60's !!
I never realised that it happened only two decades ago. Thanks for that, Blondie.
Hubert
if they changed policy gradually I do not think there would be aflood of lawsuits -no
I believe the average JW would see this as 'new light' and go on daydreamin' about the 'new system.'
NO!
The fact is that there is no liability NOW. If there is no liability now for damage or even deaths that might result because a member acts upon what has been taught, there certainly would not be any liability if the Society dropped the blood ban entirely. Courts do not punish defendants for taking remedial measures.
This seems to be a very popular fallacy among the anti-JW and reformer communities. The Society is not scared of lawsuits if it drops the blood ban and is not "maintaining or slowly sliding towards accepatance" because it wants to avoid such law suits.
The Society is and has been slowly sliding towards acceptance of blood (and I believe that it must and that it eventually will drop the blood ban) but it isn't doing this out of fear of litigation.
It is sliding towards acceptance of blood/removing the ban on blood due to a host of other factors: 1) the younger generation of Witnesses no longer buy the old argument/scriptural rationale; 2) once they allowed the first blood fraction it made possible the insertion of the thin edge of the wedge; 3) Even the leadership is recognizing that if it wants to hold onto members and attract new ones, it needs to shed "harmful" beliefs and practices, especially ones so sketchy; 4) lack of solid "champions of the doctrine" at the highest level. The Blood Ban was pretty much a creation of Fred Franz and as more of the old-timers die off, few of the "younger" Governing Body and non-anointed Nethinim are willing to go to bat for this kooky bibilical understanding; 5) the future expansion of the Organization is in other non-Western lands (Eastern Europe, China) where the Government Authorities have been hostile to the Witnesses, in some part due to beliefs such as this one, the Society needs to grease the wheels in order to enter those lands and so it will drop the Blood Ban (as it has done with the Alternative Military Service, and even indicated with the Bulgarian blood situation); and there are probably a few other reasons that I left out.
But just to reiterate, the Society is not afraid of either litigation or even of monetary judgements. It has the lawyer-power and deep pockets to withstand both. There are only two things that strike FEAR into the hearts of the Society and the "powers that be" 1) becoming irrelevant and 2) not being in "control"
-Eduardo
Dropping the blood ban all at once would definately cause a mass exodus. Imagine everyone who knows and loves someone who died or faced death suddenly being told that they did so at the ill advice of an organization that commands strict adherence.
They'd have to do it gradually. First, stop talking about it. Stop disfellowshipping for blood (as they have falsely claimed to have already done in court). Then make a casual statement that out of love and understanding for brothers and sisters in critical medical situations, judgement is saved for Jehovah.
Then make it a conscience matter. That would do it, the old "conscience matter" routine!
Imagine someone that didn't experience Armegeddon in 1975.
mac
like has been said they are not liable, at least there is no court precedent that makes them liable and if you all are right that they will eventually drop it, unfortunately i dont think it would cause a mass exodus, no major changes before this has. they are pretty good at pulling the wool over the sheeps' eyes.
Imagine someone that didn't experience Armegeddon in 1975.
I don't even have to imagine, my parents were among them. And they were brought in just a few years prior on the premise that '75 was probably the year. (or "I'll eat my hat" as the elder they studied with put it).
