Again, this is simply to show the amount of information that is collected about you in some of your most trying times and secretly sent to the WTBTS. Especially the last paragraphs shows how little love the 'shepherds' really have. I don't know if HIPAA or any other law that requires this to be kept secret comes into play.
Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses
NY Service Committee
2891 Route 22
Patterson, NY 12563-2228
Re: L L (C)-A Congregation #99999
Dear Brothers,
We are writing you this letter in order to receive direction on how to handle an issue with a publisher in our congregation who aborted a baby.
The publisher is L L who has been a member of the A Congregation since ? L is currently in good standing in the congregation. In the past, L has attempted to get pregnant numerous times, most of her pregnancies resulted in miscarriages. In fact, she has had 7 miscarriages After Surgery in 2009 to correct some deficiencies and to firm up her womb she was able to deliver a full term, healthy boy at the end of her previous pregnancy. L became pregnant again at the end of 2009, approximately October or the beginning of November.
On Sunday, February 14, 2010 around 11 PM, L C began experiencing pain in her abdomen. This pain was followed by gushing liquid and blood from her vaginal area. L suspected something serious was wrong and was associated with her then pregnancy. She contacted her doctor’s office that evening who advised her to come in the next morning. Once she arrived at the doctor’s office, she was examined. L’s obstetrician concluded that the baby was aborting itself. As a result, they performed a Dilation and Curettage (D&C) on L. This procedure should remove any fetal tissue, the placenta and any other matter associated with the pregnancy. L was sent home the next morning despite complaining about the severe pain she had.
On February 19th, L received a phone call from her doctor’s office asking her to return. It was explained that when they received the results from the tests run on her blood taken after the procedure on February 14th, her hormone levels had tripled suggesting she was still pregnant. Upon arriving at the doctor’s office, L had an ultrasound performed. The technician had trouble finding the baby at first, but eventually found the baby in her fallopian tube. In order to be sure, the technician consulted with another ultrasound technician who agreed that the baby was located in the fallopian tube. They attempted to get L’s doctor to verify their findings, but the doctor advised that she would review the results later. However, L was instructed to report to S Hospital for surgery to remove the fetus from her fallopian tube.
The surgery was performed that evening. During the surgery, L’s fallopian tube was damaged and removed entirely.
On February 21st, when L was returning home from the hospital, she received a call from the hospital urging her to return immediately. It was discovered that no fetal tissue was found in her fallopian tube. The baby must still be inside her body somewhere. L refused to return on that day because of the way she was treated and because she was exhausted and in a great deal of pain. She decided to return to the hospital two days later on February 23rd. During all their ordeal none of our local elders were contacted to appraise the elders or to request assistance/advice.
After being readmitted on February 23rd, one of the doctors on her case advised her to take a pill without explaining what it was. L demanded to know what the pill was and what it would do. The doctor explained that it was to abort the baby that was still inside her. L refused and asked to speak with another doctor. The doctor that offered her the pill was removed from her case.
A little while later that morning, several senior doctors reviewed her case. It was discovered that the baby was still alive in her uterus. However, the part of her uterus that it was in, the upper right corner, it couldn’t survive. L was advised by the doctors to have the baby removed or risk rupturing her uterus, killing her baby as well as herself. She consulted with her father, L C Sr., an elder in the A Congregation, and older brother, L C Jr., an elder in the I R Congregation, who advised her to end the pregnancy. This decision was based on research they had done at the hospital in the publications published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. As a result, L informed the doctors to go ahead with the abortion. The doctors performed the operation to abort the baby and remove it from L’s body. The baby was in such a complicated area of L’s uterus that the doctors had to remove that part of her uterus.
Wednesday March 17, 2010 was the first time the coordinating elder was appraised of a portion of L L’ health issues. This was done by her father, L C Sr., stating that L was home and in need of comfort. When asked why, the coordinator, D P, was told that she had a miscarriage and the fetus was lodged in the fallopian tube and that during surgery the doctors had to take the baby and the fallopian tube since both mother and child’s life was at risk.
Brothers, we would like to receive direction on this matter. The questions we have are as follows: Was L within her rights to end the pregnancy under these conditions? Should she have sought a second opinion especially considering the lapses in judgment the doctors and hospital had made prior to the final procedure? If we need to take some sort of action, what should it be?
We thank you for the work you brothers continue to do and the support you give us.
Sincerely,
_____________________ _____________________ _____________________
Coordinator Secretary Service Overseer