SEMINARS

to Improve Relations Between Doctors and Jehovah's Witnesses

Related topics:
Nonblood Treatment—What Experts Say
Bloodless Medicine and Surgery—The Growing Demand
Transfusion-Alternative Strategies

CHRISTIANS are forbidden by God's law to ingest blood by any means. (Acts 15:28, 29) Obedience to that law has sometimes led to misunderstandings that have resulted in Christians being denied available and effective alternative medical management of their health problems.
To establish better understanding and to assist doctors to provide treatment without using blood, Jehovah's Witnesses have developed a helpful liaison service. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses has set up Hospital Information Services (HIS) in Brooklyn, New York, to train selected Witness elders to function on Hospital Liaison Committees (HLCs). Medical research has been done and the results presented in seminars for the HLCs. In turn, this information is presented to doctors and health-care centers. Also, consultation with other experienced doctors can be arranged in an effort to avoid confrontation.

Has this program been a success? Has the information presented been truly helpful? How have doctors reacted to it? The following impressions reported by a medical doctor who attended a recent HLC seminar are informative and reassuring.

"I hope you will find these impressions forthright and useful.

"First of all, let me tell you that it was a privilege to be asked to attend the second Hospital Liaison Committee Seminar presented by Hospital Information Services staff members who came from the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses in New York. My expectations for this meeting were not merely met but far exceeded. The chairman's opening remarks set the tone for the two-day sessions. He emphasized that the HLC is not simply a mechanism for responding to the needs of ailing Witnesses during their hospital stays. The committee affords a golden opportunity to debunk many myths commonly held about Witnesses by the general public and by physicians, hospital administrators, and other medical personnel.

"It is eye-opening to many of these people to learn that Jehovah's Witnesses are not at all like Christian Scientists in their medical beliefs. Witnesses are not exercising a 'right to die' or attempting to put themselves in a position of martyrdom. Nor is the blood issue an organizational dictum but rather a heartfelt personal belief. Such revelations underscore the educational purposes of the HLC. Yes, as remarkable as it may seem, even physicians are educable and have much to learn regarding nonblood medical alternatives. I am constantly amazed by the scope and depth of research provided by this arrangement, much of which is certainly new to me. And the educational functions of the HLC do not end here. They extend on to hospital administrators, to social services, and even to the legal and judiciary officials.

"The committees expend extraordinary efforts in locating, contacting, and enlisting the help of physicians who are cooperative with Witness beliefs. Of course, it goes far beyond the physician community, as the HLC is building working relationships with hospitals, health-care workers, lawyers, and judges as well. Perhaps the most salient message to be delivered is that Jehovah's Witnesses are reasonable people, not fanatics, and are merely asking for acceptable alternatives to blood. . . . There are significant dangers in the use of blood, and the HLC certainly fulfills a function in exposing these dangers and emphasizing to the medical community the potential risks of blood and blood products.

"I am constantly amazed by the information provided to the HLC by Hospital Information Services and the Watch Tower Society. But as any journeyman would attest, virtually any job can be accomplished if the proper tools are supplied. . . . It was fascinating to hear about the structures that are now in place to respond quickly and effectively to virtually any medical emergency. Each HLC member is trained to acquire essential demographic information, to assess quickly the attitude of physicians and hospitals, and to evaluate accurately the level of emergency and the potential threat of legal action by the hospital in terms of court orders for transfusion.

"We explored ways in which to clarify the needs and wants of Witness patients, how to handle unbelieving relatives, even how to dismiss physicians and transfer the patient to alternative medical facilities more responsive to Witness needs. The HLC interaction with the media was highlighted, and guidelines were provided, again stressing the primary focus that Witnesses are not refusing all medical care, just blood. This might be considered roughly equivalent to a devout Catholic's refusing abortion but not all surgery.

"The liaison committee members have been trained to handle many common questions raised by both hospitals and physicians, occasionally even Witnesses themselves. This might include issues like the acceptability of immunoglobulins or albumin, the use of cryoprecipitate or medical techniques such as hemodilution, extracorporeal circulation, the cell saver, or hemodialysis.
In the United States, some 18,000 doctors are pleased to cooperate by providing Jehovah's Witnesses with bloodless medical care. Worldwide the figure is 50,000.
In the United States, there are 45 medical centers where bloodless medicine and surgery programs are available. Worldwide the figure is 80.

"I enjoyed a fascinating discussion of the legal considerations involved in understanding and using the law in defense of Witnesses and their religious beliefs. The judicial decisions that form the foundation for defending Witnesses' rights to medical self-determinism make for rather fascinating discussion. To some, the work of the Hospital Liaison Committee may seem redundant, even unnecessary; but in truth, this network of support services is essential. Every day I see Witness patients who are unfamiliar with the hospital milieu and perhaps unaware of many nonblood medical alternatives. Moreover, few can be truly acquainted with the breadth of cooperative physicians known to the committee or to the specific legal rights and liabilities each of us has and faces in seeking nonblood medical management.

"Let me digress for a moment to applaud the efforts of HIS. As an interventional cardiologist, I find that there is little time to read the half-dozen journals immediately relevant to my subspecialty, let alone the broader range of internal medicine. It would be an impossible task to sift through the entire haystack of medical literature for those references that might pinpoint some very specific solutions to problems encountered in the nonblood management of my patients. Once again the Society comes to my aid in providing a magnet to pluck the needle of relevant research from that proverbial haystack of journal articles.

"The continuous updates from Brooklyn serve to keep me abreast of any late-breaking developments that might impact on my practice. These are far more thorough and compulsive than any journal-review computer service with which I am acquainted. Of course, so it should be, considering what is at stake."—By Dr. Stephen E. Pope, a cardiologist of the San Francisco Bay area, in California, U.S.A.