Terri O’Sullivan: Mandated Shunning Is a Cruel PracticeI was 21 years old when I left the Jehovah’s Witnesses. I had started to have doubts and had skipped a few meetings, yet leaving the religion I no longer believed in resulted in being shunned by everyone I knew. Five years earlier, my older sister was also shunned after […]
Efrain Rivera: My Journey With Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Shunning PolicyI started studying the Bible with the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1986, at the age of 13, following my mother’s lead. By January 1988, I was baptized and quickly immersed in the congregation’s activities, becoming an Auxiliary Pioneer, and six months later, a Regular Pioneer.Being new to the […]
Cindy Gabriela Ramirez: My Cold Day in JanuaryI was born into Jehovah’s Witnesses. My parents, young and hopeful, immigrated with me from El Salvador to Portland, Oregon, when I was just 18 months old. My mom was only 23, and she had been baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness when she was just 14. For her, […]
Amandine Hancewicz: Mandated Shunning Is Cruel and InhumaneI was born in 1983 in Toulouse, France, into a Jehovah’s Witness family. My earliest memories are woven with the strict doctrines and rigid expectations that came with being part of the organization. As a child, I often felt confined, surrounded by rules that dictated every aspect of […]
“As a postgraduate student and researcher, I became aware of the profound impact of shunning. As a result of this research, I firmly believe that criminalizing mandated shunning is a crucial step towards mitigating its detrimental consequences and protecting the rights of individuals, families, and society as a whole.”
“Mandated Shunning has personally affected my family. It causes a lifetime of pain for both the victims and those who are forced to shun.”
“During the last forty years, I have personally observed over a hundred different scenarios where the damage was deadly or debilitating for people being shunned. Therefore, I am passionate about doing everything I can to stop mandated shunning and treat it as a crime.”
“I participated in mandated shunning, and it is the single deepest regret of my life. Not only did I shun my siblings, but I pressured and guilted my mother into shunning her beloved children as well. I hurt my mother so deeply, and now that she is gone I have to live with the pain I caused her and try my best to mend my family’s broken relationships.”
“Mandated shunning has been devastating to my family. It has led to attempted suicide, homelessness and displacement, loss of access to healthcare, disinheritance, severe mental health problems, and many broken relationships.”
“As someone who has personally endured the anguish of mandated shunning and witnessed its profound impact on numerous lives, my unwavering commitment lies in advocating for its recognition as a hate crime.”