B.C. Jehovah's Witness family seen in Toronto

by Quotes 29 Replies latest watchtower scandals

hawkaw

[email protected]
May 3, 2005
Ms. Lumson:
My name is xxxxx and I reside in Ontario . I observed the news stories last night regarding this young Jehovah's Witness girl coming to Ontario either for medical treatment or to seek an Ontario Court order exempting the girl from the ordered blood transfusion in B.C.
I don't know if this helps or not but I have many friends who are former witnesses including .... and helped Lawrence Hughes in his civil case in Alberta recently.
Mr. Shane Brady is actually a lawyer with Glen How's firm and represents the Watch Tower in these blood transfusion cases even though he may say he represents the family.
There is an internet site which clearly explains the Watch Tower' s actual positions on blood therapies and the many problems with it. A smart lawyer will realize the actual problems with the doctrine since Mr. Brady and other witnesses try to demonize blood therapies and try to convince other witnesses, wrongly, that there are alternate treatments that do not require blood therapies.
Click here http://www.ajwrb.org
In the ever changing doctrine of the Watch Tower , Witnesses are allowed to take many blood transfusions. In fact they can take 100 percent of blood as long as it is fractionated to the leadership's definitions of fractionated blood. In other words if the Doctor fractionates whole blood into hemoglobin, red blood cell membranes, white blood cell membranes, albumin, Factor 8 and 9 etc. and it was transfused into her body all at once using separate tubes, then - believe it or not - that would be considered acceptable by the Jehovah's Witnesses leadership. What would not be acceptable to the leadership is allogeneic transfusions whole blood, red blood cell, white blood cell (sometimes acceptable) and plasma. The leadership actually do allow for some forms of whole blood transfusions such as intraoperative autotransfusion (http://www.ajwrb.org/basics/what.shtml). Also white blood cells have been allowed to be transferred between Witnesses either in mother?s breast milk or through organ transplants.
The big problem with this issue is that if a Jehovah's Witness (including a child) knowingly does not follow the doctrine and takes in blood (based on the definition of the leadership) then, that person is considered disassociated - meaning their entire closed community of Jehovah's Witnesses will shun then and they will lose their God and religion - an awful price to pay if a person is in a closed high control group such as the Jehovah's Witnesses.
There have been many changes made to this blood doctrine over the past 20-30 years that is based on the leadership's interpretation of science (wrongly at times) and the bible.
The inconsistencies in the blood doctrine begs the question does the Watch Tower leadership honestly and in good faith teach the blood doctrine correctly to individuals such as this young girl so that the girl can make an informed choice?
There is an Ontario civil case called Victoria A. Boer v. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada inc. et. al. that was decided in June 2003. In that case which dealt with sexual molestation I believe the Judge found that Ms. Boer, the victim, even though over 18, was being controlled by the Organization's Elders and that because of her upbringing as a Jehovah's Witness, she was too immature to make her own choices. That case may help your case.
Don't know if the above helps your case but I thought I would make you aware of the information. You can call me at work (between 8:15 to 4:30 PM EDST) at xxxxx or Email me at xxxxx.
I hope B.C. considers looking at the law closely and the definition of counseling to commit an offence in either Provincial law or the Criminal Code of Canada. If people such as Mr. Brady and others agents of the corporation called the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada Inc. from Georgetown Ontario convinced this young lady to flee the jurisdiction of B.C. to avoid a legal Court order and this risks this young girl's health, then I would hope B.C. would determine if the corporation and its agents violated the counseling to commit sections either in the Provincial Law or the Criminal Code. If memory serves, there is no need to prove a mens rea (guilty mind) in Provincial Offences.
Take care,
xxxx
cc: [email protected]
Scully

Can a capable person of any age make a decision?
I'd like to hear Shane Brady's answer to that question if the girl was seeking to have a therapeutic abortion or get a prescription for birth control pills, instead of refusing a blood transfusion.
hawkaw

BTTT!

hawkaw

Jehovah's Witness teen from B.C. back in court

Last updated May 3 2005 10:18 AM PDT
CBC News

TORONTO ? A 14-year-old British Columbia girl facing a court-ordered blood transfusion went to court on crutches in Toronto on Tuesday, asking a judge to to let her seek alternative cancer treatment in New York.

A Jehovah's Witness, the Vernon teenager says having a blood transfusion is against her religious beliefs.

She and her family went to Toronto after a B.C. court ruled she cannot refuse the treatment. According to Justice Mary Boyd's April 11 ruling, if the girl is under the age of 19, she can't refuse transfusions if doctors determine they are medically necessary.

FROM APRIL 12, 2005: Teen can't stop blood transfusion, says judge

The teenager, who turns 15 on June 5, had a cancerous tumour removed from her right leg and underwent chemotherapy at B.C. Children's Hospital.

Doctors at the hospital say the chemotherapy treatments can inhibit the growth of blood cells and warn that she could die if she doesn't get a transfusion.

But the girl and her family, who say they went to Toronto for a second medical opinion, want to go to a New York medical centre that offers cancer treatment without blood transfusions.

While they were there, the province of B.C. went to court and got an order to have the girl apprehended and returned to this province.

The girl's lawyer argued that the the family wasn't told about that hearing, and shouldn't have to go back. But last week, an Ontario judge upheld the B.C. decision ruling that she should be returned to B.C.

Now, the family is asking another Ontario judge to allow her to go to New York for the alternative therapy.

In a statement, the family's lawyer said that claims that the girl needs urgent medical care are unfounded.

"The actions of the B.C. officials have now forced the family into Ontario courts," says Shane Brady.

Brady argues that the case is not about religion, but is about "the right of a capable person to decide what happens to their body."

"The courts in British Columbia have both found that the young woman is capable of deciding her medical treatment," he says. "So the question really is: When it comes to medical treatment, then who should decide: the state, the doctor, or the capable patient?"

http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_blood-teen20050503&ref=rss

hawkaw

The girl's lawyer argued that the the family wasn't told about that hearing, and shouldn't have to go back. But last week, an Ontario judge upheld the B.C. decision ruling that she should be returned to B.C.

hmm ... I didn't know this part. Now I really starting to get as mad as hell at Shane Brady. Maybe a trip to the Upper Canada Law Society may be in order for this dude.
iiz2cool

Maybe a trip to the Upper Canada Law Society may be in order for this dude.

A good beating with a ball peen hammer would have more lasting benefits.
Don't mind me, I'm just getting pissed...
Walter
hawkaw

hmm
In a statement, the family's lawyer said that claims that the girl needs urgent medical care are unfounded.
"The actions of the B.C. officials have now forced the family into Ontario courts," says Shane Brady.
Brady argues that the case is not about religion, but is about "the right of a capable person to decide what happens to their body."
So Brady's logic dictates that all of doctors (100 percent) in B.C. and Ontario are not to be considered reliable evidence and thus the "claims are unfounded"????
I sure hope Shane had a Doctor or two's testimony or sworn statement to rely on and a real good reason why he is allowing his client to knowingly break the law ....
May the police in B.C. charge the WTS and their agents for breaking a court order and god help all of them if this kid dies or a doctor examines this youngest and states that her health was harmed in anyway because she did not obtain a (lifesaving) blood transfusion.
hawk
Quotes

A reminder regarding who "Glen How and Associates" really is.

I have in my possession a letter sent to me from "Glen How and Associates". You can see a copy here:
Page 1
Page 2

Notice at the bottom of page 1, the letterhead lists the following address for this "Law Firm":

"Office: 13893 Highway 7"

That address is the "emergency services address" of Bethel Canada (emergency servcies addresses are required for 911 emergency services in rural areas). In case you need proof that this address corresponds to Bethel Canada, just plug the address into Google Maps Satellite Images:

Click here for google satellite image of this address

Google pinpoints it slightly down the street, but this is due to a slight error on google's part (the service isn't perfect). This confirms the point: Shane Brady's "law firm" is not independent counsel; rather they are the IN HOUSE consel for Watch Tower Canada. Brady's claims to the contrary are bald-faced lies.

In the next few days I'll be taking a trip out to that address to confirm, first hand, and take photos.

~Quotes, of the "thinks lawyers shouldn't lie" class

Edit to add: click the Google link above; that is the WTS bethel canada just to the left of the pinpointed location.
Scully

the family's lawyer said that claims that the girl needs urgent medical care are unfounded.
Since when was Shane Brady QUALIFIED to give a medical opinion?? I thought he was a lawyer.
hawkaw

Hey buddy I assume you saw this plastered all over the TV last night. Here is a sample.
TORONTO (CP) - A British Columbia teenager being treated for cancer will be forced to undergo blood transfusions if her doctors decide she needs them to survive, despite her protests that transfusions violate her faith as a Jehovah's Witness. The 14-year-old girl who fled to Ontario with her parents wept as Superior Court Justice Victor Paisley ordered her back to her home province.
"This is a matter of patient choice," Shane Brady, the girl's lawyer, told reporters outside the courthouse.
"Then to be denied that choice and be told, 'Look, you got to go back to British Columbia to be treated by a doctor that you've lost trust in' - that's difficult for anybody of any age to stomach."
Paisley said he did not find any fault with B.C. Justice Mary Boyd's April 11 decision that ruled the girl could not refuse transfusions if doctors deem them medically necessary because she is a minor.
"The wishes of the parents and the child have been heard," Paisley told the court.
"But the decision of this court . . . is to follow the appropriate medical advice of whom she turned to in the first instance."
Shortly after Paisley rendered his decision, police escorted the girl along with her mother and father out of the courthouse. The teenager's identity is protected by a court order.
Arrangements for her return will be made as soon as Ontario and B.C. doctors have cleared her for travel. She was supposed to resume chemotherapy treatment Tuesday.
Jeremy Berland, assistant deputy minister of children and family development for B.C., said ministry staff would help with the return process.
"We will try to make the next step as easy as possible for her, but clearly we've got to move," Berland told reporters.
"The window is not that wide open. We need to be able to start treatment as soon as the medical experts tell us it's appropriate to do so."
The girl had a cancerous tumour removed from her right leg at B.C. Children's Hospital and underwent three months of chemotherapy without transfusions.
Such therapy can inhibit production of blood cells, and doctors sought authority to give her transfusions if warranted.
The girl and her family had wanted to seek cancer care at a children's medical centre in New York with doctors experienced in providing cancer treatment without blood transfusions. But her doctor in B.C. said she should undergo transfusions if they were necessary for her survival.
Brady said doctors from the New York facility were ready to testify on the girl's behalf, but Paisley ruled their evidence would not be necessary.
"Like every other Canadian, she was seeking a second opinion," Brady said, adding that their motive for going to Ontario was misrepresented.
"(The family) did not come to Ontario to flee jurisdiction."
Brady said while an appeal could still be launched, the girl will co-operate with the court's decision.
Brady, who has been involved in similar disputes on behalf of church members, has said the B.C. government's claims that she needs transfusions urgently are unfounded.
Berland disagreed, saying it was ill-advised for the family to leave the province in the first place.
"It's very unfortunate that families feel they need to flee a jurisdiction," Berland said.
"I don't think that it's helpful in the long-term to try to continually look for a different answer. The answer was fairly clear and the answer was in B.C."
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that blood is a sacred source of life not to be misused or tampered with under any circumstance.
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Ontario judge orders B.C. girl to go home
Last Updated Wed, 04 May 2005 05:57:50 EDT CBC News
TORONTO - An Ontario judge has ordered a 14-year-old B.C. girl, who says her religion forbids blood transfusions, to return home from Toronto immediately.
The teen, a Jehovah's Witness, has cancer. Her treatment may require transfusions.
A B.C. judge ruled on April 11 that because of her age, she can't refuse transfusions if doctors determine they are medically necessary.
On Tuesday, Justice Victor Paisley of Ontario Superior Court backed the B.C. decision.
The girl and her parents are expected to return to B.C. with a social worker as soon as possible.
The teen, whose name cannot be published, went to Toronto 10 days ago to seek a second opinion on her condition.
She and her family want to go to a medical centre in New York that offers cancer treatment without blood transfusions.
She had a cancerous tumour removed from her right leg and underwent chemotherapy at B.C.'s Children's Hospital.
Doctors at the hospital say the chemotherapy treatments can inhibit the growth of blood cells and that she may need a transfusion.
In a statement issued before the ruling, the family's lawyer said that claims that the girl needs urgent medical care are unfounded.
"The actions of the B.C. officials have now forced the family into Ontario courts," said Shane Brady.
Brady said the case is not about religion, but is about "the right of a capable person to decide what happens to their body."
"The courts in British Columbia have both found that the young woman is capable of deciding her medical treatment," he said. "So the question really is: When it comes to medical treatment, then who should decide: the state, the doctor, or the capable patient?"

B.C. Jehovah's Witness family seen in Toronto

Ontario judge orders B.C. girl to go home

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