Posts by Lee Elder

76

I Said Goodbye

by Farkel in

jw
friends

my father was rushed by ambulance from his rest home to st. marks hospital in salt lake city, utah friday, but i only just heard about it.

i received a call from the floor nurse and she told me he is not expected to live.

his lungs are filled fill up with fluid and are continuing to fill u with more fluid: he has pneumonia.

I was very moved by your post. This must a very difficult time for you
but at least you've done all of the right things and shouldn't have regrets
after your father is gone. A fine message to the rest of us.

For me personally, coming to grips with end of life issues has been difficult.
Raised as a JW, I was one of those children who was taught I would never
get sick, old or die. For that matter most of us with a little gray hair were
never supposed to graduate from high school.

I spoke with a JW this week whom I've known for many decades. She's
well into her sixties now, her husband is still working full time, serving as
an elder and recovering from surgery. There is no retirement in their future
because they never felt any need to plan for one.

Here is the simple reality: We're born, we grow old, we die. Hopefully we do
something to leave the world a better place for our children and grand children.
Perhaps there is something better or different awaiting us after this life
but no one really knows and all of the blustering and posturing does not
change that fact.

My advice to anyone reading this post is live each day to its fullest, don't be
afraid to love and enjoy what is beautiful in this life, put your energy into your
family and your community (make a donation to MDA today), plan for your future
and your retirement and never pass up on the opportunity to tell your friends
and family that you love them.

Farkel - please be assured of my best wishes to you and your family.

Lee

5

Blood Update

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

dr. muramoto and myself have had to take a step back to care for personal.

issues but we hope to be back to full speed next year.. we have completed work on a major article to be published in an american.

medical journal later this year.. i am nearly done with another article on the blood issue for a different.

Lee Elder

Hi Jeremy,

I am not familiar with the Canadian laws. The kind of law I would support would be
one that would prevent the WTS from practicing medicine and guarantee each
JW a free choice in their medical care.

Best regards,

Lee

5

Blood Update

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

dr. muramoto and myself have had to take a step back to care for personal.

issues but we hope to be back to full speed next year.. we have completed work on a major article to be published in an american.

medical journal later this year.. i am nearly done with another article on the blood issue for a different.

Lee Elder

You're very kind. I hope that you and your wife are doing well.
I'm sorry the meatheads in your local congregation came after
you - maybe it doesn't really matter that much - the closure
probably feels good.

You look very young in your picture!

What a plus that you figured all of this out before you spent
the best years of your life slaving for a publishing company.

Warmest regards,

Lee

5

Blood Update

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

dr. muramoto and myself have had to take a step back to care for personal.

issues but we hope to be back to full speed next year.. we have completed work on a major article to be published in an american.

medical journal later this year.. i am nearly done with another article on the blood issue for a different.

Lee Elder

Dr. Muramoto and myself have had to take a step back to care for personal
issues but we hope to be back to full speed next year.

We have completed work on a major article to be published in an American
Medical Journal later this year.

I am nearly done with another article on the blood issue for a different
American Medical Journal and Sam and I have plans to do a third in the near
future.

I was intrigued by a newsreport today concerning a new law passed
in Connecticut that makes it illegal for principals, teachers, counselors and other
school officials to recommend to parents that their children take psychiatric
medication for behavioral or learning disorders. The law effectively prohibits
school personnel from practicing medicine without a license. The law is the
first of its kind in the U.S.

The author of the article, John Rosemond, has a master's degree in psychology
and writes a column on parenting. In the article he made this fascinating comment:

"A good number of pediatricians across the country have reported to me that school personnel
not only often recommend medicating children, but also are not averse to arguing with any physician
who disagrees."

I could not help but be reminded of how the Watchtower Society effectively practices medicine
by telling Jehovah's Witnesses which type of blood products they may accept and forbidding
them from accepting others. Additionally, it is not a long stretch to see the similarity between
teachers arguing with physicians and elders arguing with physicians.

Ultimately, this is probably where the impetus to get the Watchtower Society out of the
doctor/patient relationship will come from. It needs to be illegal.

Food for thought.

Warmest regards,

Lee

2

Advice on the Blood Issue please

by Number 6 in

jw
friends

dear all.. i have a question regarding the blood issue that i need some advice about.

first some background:.

as you may be aware, a husband and wife are regarded as each others next of kin.

Lee Elder

The circumstances you describe are not as unusual as you might imagine. Many Jehovah's Witnesses feel quite empowered to reject
needed medical blood transfusions not only for themseles but also for their infants, their unbaptized children, unbaptized mates and parents. In some cases, even when these individuals have zero interest in the Jehovah's Witness faith.

If anyone has such a relative they should take concrete steps to inform health care workers of their true wishes. A discussion with their physician, including a statement placed in their medical records in definitely in order. An additional precaution would be to carry a medical alert or affadavit in your purse or wallet.

Lastly, consider supporting AJWRB and its efforts to educate the medical community and other interested parties.

Lee Elder
AJWRB
www.ajwrb.org

3

Can you help me figure this out?

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

i am working on refining the estimate of deaths related to the watchtower's blood policy, especially as they relate to children.. those of us who spent many years inside the wts can testify to the large percentage of jw children who are either disfellowshiped or simply walk away upon attaining adulthood.

my guess.

is that the number is approximately 50%.. we can come up with some pretty solid numbers regarding how many jw children die because of the blood policy.

Lee Elder

I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag since we hope to publish this, but yes it can be done with available data for the the general population, occurence of disease, actual use of blood, etc. A bit tricky but definitely possible.

To answer Ladonna's questions, government policies vary widely from one country to the next. Some are very protective and some offer almost no protection at all. And yes, many JW's secretly take blood now. The medical community has heard our message loud and clear.

3

Can you help me figure this out?

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

i am working on refining the estimate of deaths related to the watchtower's blood policy, especially as they relate to children.. those of us who spent many years inside the wts can testify to the large percentage of jw children who are either disfellowshiped or simply walk away upon attaining adulthood.

my guess.

is that the number is approximately 50%.. we can come up with some pretty solid numbers regarding how many jw children die because of the blood policy.

Lee Elder

I am working on refining the estimate of deaths related to the Watchtower's blood policy, especially as they relate to children.

Those of us who spent many years inside the WTS can testify to the large percentage of JW children who are either disfellowshiped or simply walk away upon attaining adulthood. My guess
is that the number is approximately 50%.

We can come up with some pretty solid numbers regarding how many JW children die because of the blood policy. What I would like is to be able to estimate how many of those deaths are pointless in the sense that a significant percentage of these children statistically would have left the WTS of their own free will (or been DF) had they simply survived into adulthood.

If there is a statistician among us, or someone given to statistical analysis, could you please help us develop a sound method for estimating what percentage of JW children actually remain JWs.

Thanks,

Lee

12

Bomb Threat Halts Convention

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

a bomb threat called in during the sunday morning drama brought a. district convention in tucson arizona to an abrupt halt.

the convention.

center was evacuated and bomb sniffing dogs brought in to search for.

Lee Elder

Norm:

I don't think that JW families and children are responsible and legitimate targets
for those who have suffered at the hands of WT leaders and policy. I would not
condone any use of violence and I'm sure neither you nor any other responsible
member of the JW communities would either.

Lee

12

Bomb Threat Halts Convention

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

a bomb threat called in during the sunday morning drama brought a. district convention in tucson arizona to an abrupt halt.

the convention.

center was evacuated and bomb sniffing dogs brought in to search for.

Lee Elder

A bomb threat called in during the Sunday morning drama brought a
district convention in Tucson Arizona to an abrupt halt. The convention
center was evacuated and bomb sniffing dogs brought in to search for
a device. Witnesses were told to leave their luch coolers inside the facility
and directed to move to the area North of the convention center where
they sought what little shade was available. Overflow facilities in adjacent
convention center facilities provided relief from the heat for some.

It is tempting to speculate about who might have resorted to this kind
of criminal behavior but that seems premature. I understand that some
older JW women were in serious distress and the potential for serious
harm to innocent people is both real and frightening.

I can't say that such developments surprise me. It may be just a matter
of time before some distraught, unbalanced individual carries out this kind
of threat against those they perceive as being responsible for the disruption
of their families and personal life.

I will post more details as they become available through my sources and
contacts.

Lee Elder

10

manufactured drug alternative??????

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

simon: .

love the news feature you've addedd.

did everyone read the story about the 9 year old irish jw child who had.

Lee Elder

Simon:

Love the news feature you've addedd.

Did everyone read the story about the 9 year old Irish JW child who had
open heart surgery at Johns Hopkins without blood?

I noted that the article made reference to a "manufactured drug alternative"
that was used in lieu of blood.

I wonder if this is going to be the WTS new buzz word for the purified cow
blood they are now permitting JWs to use?

Perhaps someone could write the author.

Lee