New Provision to Assist Us to Abstain From Blood - Dec KM

by truthseeker 46 Replies latest watchtower medical

  • No Apologies
    No Apologies

    Interesting development... obviously they believe there will be a legal and possibly PR upside in this change in procedure. The only downside for the org is that the blood card was becoming a de facto JW ID card, updated every year. Another control tactic, everyone has to sign in every year, reaffirming their stance as a JW...now that will no longer be the case. No Apologies

  • bavman
    bavman

    blondie is exactly correct. the dpa IS more legally binding than the old blood card. it has all the details of what you would accept or not accept on it. since some dubs except 1 thing but not another they are all filled out a little differently. they are very detailed and very binding. it was also encouraged to keep them in more than one place, ex:at home, at work, with another responsible dubbie....it is a good idea for all people to have them too. of course, this means you must think about things that could come up now. which reminds me, i think i probably have 1 floating around out there somewhere which says not to give me blood.......i guess i better get busy making up a new dpa....postate, i believe whatever you sign your name to is legally binding. so think twice or maybe 3 times before you sign anything for your wife.

  • bavman
    bavman

    also...i can't believe this "new" dpa card is a replacement for the whole dpa itself. that sucker was many pages long. it must just replace the "old blood card' w/ some different info on it...

    bavman

  • startingover
    startingover

    I bet my wife will still display her blood card prominently in her wallet. As a JW I was always under the impression that it was a very important thing to have that displayed, it's going to be a little hard to do that with the DPA.

  • blondie
    blondie
    What I would like to know is who keeps track of the DPA's. Is a copy registered with the local congregations ??

    Individual JWs may file a copy at the congregation though they are not required to do so and the elders around here are not going to ask to handle another piece of paperwork. If you select an elder to act for you either as a primary or alternate proxy for you, you would give them a copy. Believe the "friends" are not very efficient about doing this any more than they were in signing their "blood cards."

    If I cosigned a DPA and then decided that a blood transfusion was best for my wife would that override any congregation documents and influence in the matter. If an elder signed instead would that mean that he had more"power" than a husband to do the no blood policy??

    Does your wife know that you may not uphold her wishes in the DPA? Whoever is designated the primary in the DPA, has signed, 2 eyewitnesses having sign testifying as to your wife's and your signature (and alternate if primary is not available) holds the power not whoever holds the document. It would be good if the primary designee has a copy. If your wife were to change the document, it would supersede all older documents whether the holders of the older ones are notified or not.

    I think maybe...if she asks me I will cosign one for her.It seems to me then I keep more control over what happens.

    Once again, does your wife realize that if she is unconscious, you hold all the cards not just because of the DPA but because you are here nearest legal relative?

    I would check on the Internet about DPAs in general and check with an attorney as well.

    DPAs are not a WTS invention. They have been around for some time. In at least 2 of my jobs, these documents were required for family and/or friends to make changes in retirement and health care decisions.

    For ex-JWs, it can be a way to circumvent your misguided JW relatives choosing medical treatments you don't agree with. A friend will have more power than a spouse with this document in hand. But check with a lawyer, because I am not a lawyer, and only know my own state's laws.

    Blondie

  • wednesday
    wednesday

    I have already told my husband that should he need blood, he'll get it. He and I had several rather loud discussions about this, but i told him that I would not let him die for a crazy book publishing company. His views have now changed (on his own with little help from me) and should he need it, he is agreeable to take it. None of us want blood, there are dangers in taking it. but it is better than dying. .

  • Scully
    Scully

    This appears to me to be the WTS moving away from the appearance of "imposing" the stance of refusing blood transfusions on their members, and moving toward the appearance that individual members have made a personal choice to refuse blood transfusions.

    Durable Power of Attorney can be applied to other medical issues, not just simply refusing blood transfusions or blood products. People use these when they want Do Not Resuscitate orders, or when they have decided they want no heroic measures to revive them. When a terminally ill patient decides they want to stop certain life-sustaining treatment (dialysis, chemo, insulin, etc) they usually need to have a psychiatric evaluation to determine that this is what they really want and that they are not feeling coerced or like a burden - so I find it interesting that a document that plays so heavily in a life-and-death situation would be acceptable in the absence of such an evaluation.

    I would also hope that the signatories on the WTS's DPAs do NOT also have authority to administer the person's finances in the event of their demise. We can all just imagine where the money will filter down to.

    Love, Scully

  • outnfree
    outnfree

    I find this very troubling because so many JWs (at least in my former congregation) had NO IDEA what the alternatives contained on the DPA meant or how the document worked. I am worried that those who made rather arbitrary choices years ago will not update their DPAs, even when the Society's views become more liberal. There is still the potential for a great many unnecessary deaths as old-timers don't investigate and the uneducated allow others to decide for them. It makes me sad.

    Please, if any of you DO have DPAs out there that are no longer in line with your wishes, make up a new one.

    outnfree

  • pennycandy
    pennycandy

    I understand about using them during an illness or planned medical treatment, but I'm not clear on how the DPA would work in an emergency. Is there something a witness would keep on their person at all times, or only a filed paper that must be searched for, faxed, or brought in? If someone is in a car accident and brought unconscious to the ER, possibly needing a transfusion in the first few minutes, how would the staff know the patient doesn't want it?

  • Poztate
    Poztate

    Blondie,

    Thanks for the information.I will have to look long and hard at the legal aspect of this.

    Poz

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