Jehovah's Witnesses and informed consent

by JeffT 14 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  apostatethunder

  Informed consent implies that you have all pertinent information before you make a decission, otherwise we are talking about a scam.

  A few years ago there was no easy access to information about this organization. They just offer you a Bible study, no strings attached, they don't want to change your religion...but once you are in, strong social pressure and the use of various forms of manipulation make breaking free very difficult.

  They depend on this type of control to keep people in. If witnesses enjoyed the freedom other religions that they have the cheek to criticize have, they would have no followers at all.

  Individuals that scam others are dealt with as crooks, it shouldn't be any different if you are a corporation.
• 

  Justitia Themis

  Adult JWs easily meet the informed consent standard.

  Informed consent is a three-pronged test consisting of the following elements:

  1) Mental capacity. This is a very low standard that even the mentally challenged can meet.

  2) Understands the risks and benefits of treatment. Informed consent places a burden on the physician to provide information. It places no corresponding burden on the patient to accept or understand the information. In fact, patients can refuse medical information. Therefore, even the medically misinformed JW meets this standard.

  3) Lack of coercion. Adult JWs who choose to be baptized and submit to possible disfellowshipping meet this prong.

  A physician cannot legally override patient autonomy by transfusing if the patient can provide valid informed consent. In fact, clinicians who do so run the risk of being sued for civil battery and/or a failure-to-obtain-informed-consent medical negligence claim.

  However, there are a few exceptions to informed consent, such a theraputive privilege, exigency, etc.
• 

  JeffT

  FYI, I'm not speaking in strictly legal terms. I agree that adult JW's can make any decision they want in the legal sense.

  I do not believe that JW's, in a moral and personal sense, are capable of rational thought on this and many other matters. And blame for this rests squarely with the WTBS which is filling their heads with crap to such an extent that they can not think about it clearly.
• 

  Justitia Themis

  I'm not speaking in strictly legal terms.

  The legal and ethical requirements of informed consent are the same. The law is merely the mechanism that ensures physicians act ethically by assessing informed consent.

  I do not believe that JW's, in a moral and personal sense, are capable of rational thought on this and many other matters.

  I agree, but the same can be said about many non-JWs.

  And blame for this rests squarely with the WTBS which is filling their heads with crap to such an extent that they can not think about it clearly

  Hence, I do not necessarily agree that the blame rests squarely with the WTBTS. I suspect those who think less rationally are more attracted to the WTBTS. Therefore, there is joint responsibility.
• 

  snare&racket

  The older I get and longer I sit outside of the JW world, the more I feel we can't blame the religion for EVERYTHING.

  The average JW has the PHYSICAL means to make a decision, if they chose to stay for bad reasons then that is something different.

  Is it the WT fault or the persons fault for staying? It's a tough issue to battle out, but for sure the issue is not capacity.

  As for informed consent, again the duty of a doctor is to offer information to the patient via evidence based medicine, gathered on the framework of the scientific method. They will hear the risks, the benefits and the unknowns. Informed consent is not about debating with people's world views.

  We offer them the medical information that we currently have, it is up to them to appraise it and prioritise it over their personal opinion, feelings, wants, or beliefs whether they are their own determination or those that are dictated by them by e.g. a religion. They chose to have those beliefs.

  The best answer to this issue is providing them with INFORMATION. That is the best we can do.