For some reason I can't see all the posts. I apologise if I'm repeating comments.
I find this to be very disturbing. It sets some dangerous precedents and contains enough vague language to encourage serious abuses.
There are too many unanswered questions. What do they mean by allowing someone to practice fornication? It sounds as if just allowing someone to live in your home makes you guilty if they practice fornication. What if the family member is a minor or parent who needs care? How are you supposed to stop them if you discover them in the act? The only Biblical precedent I can think of is to kill them with a spear like Phinehas did.
Why should this be limited to fornication? Will they apply these principles to all JW beliefs in the future? It seems like they could be coming up with excuses to avoid taking care of needy, unbelieving parents or unbelieving children beyond the time required by law. If JW's can be held accountable for the acts of unbelieving family members, then we can expect that many will become even more abusive in trying to impose their religion on their family.
What if a family member accepts a blood transfusion? Would a JW have to evict them during their recovery to avoid the appearance of condoning the choice? Why should a blood transfusion be treated differently than fornication? It's an even more serious sin in JW land.
What if an unbelieving family member is paying rent? Will the governing body clarify what exactly they mean be living in your home? Would renting a room make the JW accountable for the relatives actions, but would they be viewed as innocent if the family member rents an apartment in the same home with a separate entrance. Will JW's be allowed to rent to any nonbeliever who might do something wrong? Will they be barred from running hotels because this could be viewed as allowing people to practice fornication?
The governing body will have to clarify these issues if they don't want local elders to take their counsel to extremes. If they come up with more rules, there will be even more unanswered questions. It's a dangerous and slippery slope.
They seem to have really crossed a line with this letter. They are going well beyond abusing their own members. They are encouraging the imposition of their beliefs on people who choose not be JW's. This makes them a threat to society in general and could have legal consequences. I think it would be relevant in child custody cases. The judges need to know that the children will be punished by shunning if they break the rules or leave the JW religion. Even then, they will be pressured to live up to JW standards of morality by parents who will themselves be punished if they don't enforce their beliefs on their unbelieving children.