UK Newspaper articles. Young JW death re 'no blood'

by ThomasCovenant 38 Replies latest watchtower medical

• 

  nelly136

  i'll paste the news report in for you thomas, news links move and disapear and the info gets lost with time.

  A schoolboy died after refusing a blood transfusion following a car crash because he was a Jehovah’s Witness.

  Joshua McAuley, 15, suffered life-threatening injuries to his legs and abdomen after being pinned against a shop front by an out-of-control car as he went to buy sweets.

  He survived the crash in Smethwick, West Midlands, and remained conscious, but lost a massive amount of blood and was airlifted to hospital for a transfusion.

  But Joshua died six hours later, after he refused to consent to the operation because of his faith, church representatives said.

  Under medical law, doctors are required to decide whether a child under 16 is
  competent enough to consent to or refuse medical treatment without the need for parental permission or knowledge.

  Sources at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Trust suggested doctors followed this law, known as the Gillick competence test, before deciding Joshua was able to make his own decision.

  It is unclear whether either of the boys’ parents were at the hospital at the time.

  Last night members of his congregation described how he told doctors ‘no blood, no
  blood, no blood’ after he was flown to Selly Oak Hospital, in Birmingham.

  As a Jehovah’s Witness from a devout family, Joshua followed the belief that blood is sacred and transfusions are prohibited by the Bible.

  Hospital staff are thought to have begged the teenager to change his mind, but he
  refused.

  Clive Parker, an elder at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses where Joshua and his family worshipped, said: ‘I believe he was conscious enough after the accident and he made a stand on the blood issue. He made the choice personally.’
  
  
  Joshua, who was about to start his GCSEs at the local Shireland Academy, went to
  buy sweets while out preaching to residents at 11.15am on Saturday, when the accident happened, friends said.

  Firemen battled to free Joshua, as others trapped inside the shop feared the building would collapse.

  Paramedics gave him pain relief and emergency treatment at the roadside, before
  flying him to hospital. Four other pedestrians were hurt in the crash – one seriously.

  The 28-year-old male driver, from Birmingham, has been bailed pending further
  inquiries, West Midlands Police said.
• 

  undercover

  Let's see Paul Gillies claim that 'we only Baptise as adults' as he did (on UK morning TV programme) after Emma Gough died refusing blood.

  I didn't know hear about that. That bastard.

  A project for V if he's lurking about... find a video clip of that TV interview and clip it in with quotes from the WTS urging youth to get baptized. I saw a quote yesterday where they were counseling parents against letting their children wait until they finished school before committing to baptism
• 

  Yan Bibiyan

  This is what REALLY pisses me off:

  "Clive Parker, an elder at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses where Joshua and his family worshipped, said: "I believe he was conscious enough after the accident and he made a stand on the blood issue. He made the choice personally."

  Personally?!?!

  No shit, Einstein, after 16 years of relentless brainwashing, in which Mr. Parker undoubtedly had his fair share. What a sad, dumb, unnecessary way to go out. At the doorstep of your life....

  -Yan
• 

  leavingwt

  Well, I guess it is a dangerous cult.
• 

  undercover

  This situation will get ugly as the driver of the car goes to court. He may be charged with death by vehicle, or however they word it in the UK, but his lawyers will fight it saying that the young JW would not have died had he taken blood.

  I've seen this exact scenerio play out here in the US. A child was hit by a car that drove through a convenience store, trapping her. She went to the hospital, everything seemed okay, she went home. Later they had to take her back - internal bleeding. They needed to do a blood transfusion. Parents refused. The child died.

  The driver was drunk. Three time loser with DWIs. He was charged with some kind of felony manslaughter by vehicle...felony since he was driving with revoked license and was drunk. His lawyers played the blood card at the trial. Claimed that the child would not have died had the parents allowed a blood transfusion. Prosecutors claimed that the child would not have been in a life/death situation had the driver not plowed through the building.

  It stirred up quite a bit of media attention in the area and all the dubs turned out for the court sessions to support the family. I knew the family well. It devastated them...the father never really recovered to his old self...it changed him forever.

  If I remember correctly, I think the court finally found the driver guilty...he just had too many past charges to ignore. Had this been a first time offender or a grandmother who hit the wrong pedal, I think the lawyers could have gotten them off with the arguments they were using.

  Yes, the driver is guilty. He caused this situation. Then and now. And they should be punished for it.

  But the evil blood doctrine of the WTS is just as guilty for the loss of life as these two drivers...yet they'll never go to court or face fines or prison. True, had the drivers not hit these people it wouldn't have been an issue, but if the blood doctrine not existed, these children, along with the many others, could still be here recovered from injuries and living full lives.

  I'm starting to get pissed and I usually start breaking forum guidelines on language when I get pissed, so I'll stop now before I get going...
• 

  besty

  Do JW's encourage child baptism? erm yes.....

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l8ELIQEdZE

  Paul Gillies never got the memo...or he's lying through his teeth....he's an embarrassment to Scotland
• 

  Gill

  Very sad.

  However, it is interesting that the boy's first, main and only concern was NOT the normal one of any kind of fear of death, but a freaked out fear of a blood transfusion that over rode the normal response.

  He was more afraid of the consequences of taking blood - excommunication, being a second rate witness, losing his family etc than losing what was more important, his life.

  Therefore, brainwashing was put before real life need.

  The hospital staff made a terrible mistake in not treating him as he was not, as is no Jehovah's Witness, in a proper and balanced state of mind to make such a decision.

  It is time hospital staff stopped putting the beliefs of the tyrants who run religious cults above the right to life of children and adults alike.
• 

  dozy

  Sky News has picked up this story...

  http://tinyurl.com/37f57cn

  Gillick Competence Test (children under 16 years old)

• Children in this age group are not deemed to be automatically legally competent to give consent.
• The courts have determined that such children can be legally competent if they have "sufficient understanding and maturity to enable them to understand fully what is proposed".

How could a 15 year old boy make an informed decision in this instance with blood pouring out of his body & surrounded by family & elders? What I have often seen in these kind of incidents in what a HLC friend (presuably now ex-friend) called a "martyr complex" which suddenly kicks in and a JW suddenly stops wanting any treatment , even blood fractions allowed by the WTBTS , as they see this as "spiritual".