TI: Transfusion-free treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses: respecting the autonomous patient's motives
OT: Augmented title: comment on O. Muramoto
AU: Malyon,-David
PEI: Y
JN: Journal-of-Medical-Ethics
SO: Journal of Medical Ethics v 24 no6 Dec 1998. p. 376-81
AB: What makes Jehovah's Witnesses tick? What motivates practitioners of medicine? How is benevolent human behaviour to be interpreted? The explanation that fear of censure, mind-control techniques or enlightened self-interest are the real motivators of human conduct is questioned. Those who believe that man was created in "God's image," hold that humanity has the potential to rise above selfishly driven attitudes and actions, and reflect the qualities of love, kindness and justice that separate us from the beasts. A comparison of general medical ethics and disciplines, and those of the Jehovah's Witness community, is made in this context. The easy charge that frequent deaths result from refusal of blood transfusions is examined. The central source of antipathy towards Jehovah's Witnesses, namely the alleged imposition of extreme and even harmful refusal of blood therapy on our children is addressed. Of course, ". . . few dilemmas are likely to be resolved wisely or satisfactorily by a blinkered adherence to abstract principles alone. Solutions to most cases will be dictated by a combination of factors." The support of medical ethics by Jehovah's Witnesses, and their willingness to share in reasoned and ethical debate, while at the same time holding firm to their religious and conscientious principles are emphasised.
TI: My conscience, your moneyOT: Augmented title: case study
JN: The-Hastings-Center-Report
SO: The Hastings Center Report v 25 Sept/Oct 1995. p. 28-9
AB: Two writers comment on the medical ethics of providing expensive treatment to a patient who refuses regular therapeutic options. A young Jehovah's Witness refused a blood transfusion on religious grounds and was subsequently treated in the ICU with expensive drugs at a total cost of nearly $100,000, which had to be absorbed by the hospital. One writer claims that an ordinary managed care system is under no obligation to pay for costly medical intervention that results from religious beliefs. The second writer queries whether allowing a death is religiously disrespectful if it flows from nontreatment due to religious beliefs. He also points out that the provision of costly treatment may cause other patients to suffer and concludes that there is no simple solution to the ethical dilemma. Both writers discuss the concept of an independent managed care organization for those placing conditions on their treatment for religious reasons.
TI: Papa was a Jehovah's Witness
OT: Augmented title: with excerpt from Father's touch
AU: D'Haene,-Donald
JN: Gay-and-Lesbian-Review
SO: Gay and Lesbian Review v 9 no4 July/Aug 2002. p. 24-7
AB: Part of a special issue on the crisis in the U.S. Catholic Church over gay priests and sexual abuse. The writer reflects on his experience of abuse as a child. He demonstrates how the abuser, his father, used the theology of the Jehovah's Witnesses to support his craving and justify his actions. He questions why victims of abuse are so slow at coming forward to report their experiences. He contends that, at least for boys, this is due to the culturally imposed shame that is attached to homosexual contact; while most victims are not gay, the fact that they were targeted for abuse somehow raises doubts about their masculinity. He concludes that, as the current crisis in the Catholic Church reveals, powerful institutions can stand as formidable barriers to the disclosure of sexual abuse.
(I don't remember seeing the above article discussed here...sounds important!!)
TI: Jehovah's Witnesses and the responsibility of religious freedom: the European experience
AU: Wah,-Carolyn-R
PEI: Y
JN: Journal-of-Church-and-State
SO: Journal of Church and State v 43 no3 Summer 2001. p. 579-601
AB: The writer considers the treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses in Europe by mainstream religions, judicial systems, anti-cult movements, and media. She elucidates the organization, beliefs, and history of the Jehovah's Witnesses in Europe, highlighting their persecution by Nazi, fascist, and communist regimes. She details the birth and methodology of the European Parliamentary Enquete Commission, designed to examine sects and so-called psychology groups, and she discusses European legislation and administrative reactions to the Enquete Commission's reports. She focuses on child custody cases decided in favor of the Jehovah's Witness parent and attempts to explain why the findings of the best interests hearings are so often at odds with media reports and the conclusions of governmental administrative agencies.
TI: Innocence, ignorance- and backlash
AU: Williams,-Leslie
JN: The-Humanist
SO: The Humanist v 55 Mar/Apr 1995. p. 33-4
AB: The battle lines over the separation of church and state in American schools are becoming increasingly polarized. In the last 40 years or so, substantial gains have been made in separating church and state, but those gains are now being attacked by the Christian right. Meanwhile, many Americans ignorantly believe that it is enough to simply allow students of non-Christian faiths to abstain from religious celebrations in schools. They fail to recognize that such policies can leave students feeling uneasy and ostracized. The writer discusses her experiences as an elementary school teacher in the late 1960s and the effect of the school's religious policies on Jewish and Jehovah's Witness students.
