A.L.Karchevsky

"The secretary of the congregation must see to it that a sufficient quantity of this supplement is always available in the congregation so that one copy can always be given to each newly baptized. This should be done immediately after baptism. At the same time, introduce the newly baptized person to the Medical Order/Release of Responsibility. If he wishes, he can take one copy for himself. If a newly baptized publisher has unbaptized children, you may also want to introduce him to the "ID card" that many Witness parents use for their children. If a brother or sister lives in a religiously divided home, then when drawing up such a document for a minor child, it is necessary to discuss this issue with the marriage partner, because both parents are responsible for the well-being of the child. Be sure to take the time to explain to new brothers and sisters the importance and significance of this material in Our Kingdom Ministry and these medical documents. Make sure they have a clear understanding of how these materials will help them during their treatment."

Why should acquaintance with the material of the insert take place immediately after baptism? Why not acquaint everyone who comes to Jehovah's Witnesses with this information immediately? Probably, the OSB has a fear that the influx of people will immediately decrease. Apparently, it realizes that a full acquaintance with this material should be carried out already with a "trained" (read "processed") member of the Society.

The organization is relieved of responsibility for the fact that the top and lower leaders of the OSB "explained" and "convinced":

"In doing so, however, always remember that each publisher has a personal responsibility and makes personal decisions about how to prepare for medical emergencies and what steps to take to do so."

This is followed by a warning:

"Neither elders nor other brothers should in any way compel publishers to fill out these forms, for they are simply services provided to anyone who wishes to express their personal opinion on the matter."

However, it is well known how ordinary Jehovah's Witnesses feel about the personal example of their comrades who are more advanced in the teachings of the OSB and about the strong recommendations of the Society's literature. This is perceived as a guide to "wise and useful" imitation and as a direct instruction to act on the issue to which the recommendation is devoted. Can anything bad be recommended in the Society's literature, the "channel of truth"?

The authors of the letter recommend drawing up different documents for an emergency situation and for a planned operation. A Jehovah's Witness must provide for himself by his "personal will":

«... the "Medical Order/Disclaimer" and "Proof of Identity" documents are for emergency situations only. Therefore, when a brother or sister is admitted to the hospital for planned treatment, one should not simply show the medical staff these documents or put them on the bedside table in the hospital room (as some have done), hoping that the doctor will thus become familiar with his or her position. Instead, everyone should prepare a detailed personal will for a specific treatment and talk about it with their attending physician (anesthesiologist, surgeon, etc.)."

It is obvious what a "detailed personal expression of will on a specific treatment" of a person who is far from medicine and uses OSB publications will look like if he is going to undergo a planned operation. It is obvious who will help him in this matter, and the medical level of this "personal will" is obvious.

Further, as mentioned above, the elders are given recommendations on how and on what literature111 to provide instruction, after which it is especially noted:

"If there are baptized publishers in your congregation who do not already have the above-mentioned insert, please make sure that each of them receives this important information."

At the end of the letter, so that no one relaxes, it is said that everything that was "recommended" by the letter will be checked:

"Your circuit overseer will inquire about these matters when he visits your congregation in the future."