Would you give blood now? Would you accept it?

by sass_my_frass 29 Replies latest jw friends

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  BadPammie

  Yes, I have given blood in two different ways. One, through a donation at the Red Cross and as an RN I have administered blood to my patients. If I felt it was necessary to have a blood transfusion I would not hesitate. Blood is simply a combination of proteins and water. We take extensive measures to prevent transfusion mixups and reactions. Like any other medical therapy it carries risks and benefits. While I do not presume to say that our blood supply is perfect, I will say that we have made many advances in the last 30 years.

  Being a former JW and having had lost 75% of my blood volume after a botched hysterectomy and almost dying, I regret and resent letting others tell me how to choose my medical care. I was so very miserable. Blood expanders kept me alive, true, but the suffering was unbearable. A simple transfusion would have been therapeutic and would have allowed me to begin to heal much faster.

  BadPammie
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  ICBehindtheCurtain

  Yes to both, especially if my children needed it, and we are the same blood type, who better than me? I would try to get the substitutes for myself first, if possible, only because of the risks involved, if not maybe find a family member of freind who I know didn't do questionable things, to share their blood with me, I would of course do the same for them.

  IC
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  unbeliever

  
  I have a rare blood type so I donate blood on a regular basis. If at all possible I would rather use a substitute but if my life depended on it I would take blood and I have informed my family. I have even taken steps to make sure my JW mom cannot make medical decisions on my behalf.
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  Carmel

  Haven't checked my blood card lately. Wifey and I give blood every 90 days. I think I'm close to 20 gallons by now. When medical science has a better solution then you'll no longer see the red cross doing blood drives

  carmel
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  freedom96

  I always would have taken blood if it meant saving my life, even when I was a witness. I would do it for my family too, and always would have. I could never have watched my wife or children die because of not taking the transfussion.
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  buffalosrfree

  That will be a double yes and yes, aye aye to it.
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  kbare

  I could probably give blood...but i dont think i could take it, just use a substitute.
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  jwfacts

  Blood still seems creepy to me but there are life and death situations when blood is the only alternative and so of course i would have a transfusion.
  I have written an article about blood for anyone that is still unaware of the real issues at
  http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/blooddoctrine.htm
  
  What is sad about the issue is the deception carried on by the WTS, and not only in the significant and ongoing changes back and forth on what is and is not acceptable. Three main things stand out about the JW stand.
  Inaccurate - Most Christian religions understand that there is no longer any prohibition on eating or transfusing blood. For the Watchtower to claim that the current bible standard is that blood must not be eaten or transfused shows a lack of understanding of the scriptural issue.
  Inconsistent - The Watchtower states Gods standard is that blood must not be stored, yet Jehovah’s Witnesses can use fractionated blood derived from stored blood.
  Hypocritical - Jehovah’s Witnesses use significant quantities of medical products derived from blood, but do not donate to the blood supply.
  As an example, an immunoglobulin injection is derived from the pooled blood of up to 60,000 people and requires 3 litres of blood in the manufacturing process. If a Jehovahs Witness is willing to have one of these injections, but will not donate blood then they are hypocritically leaching (pardon the pun) off society.
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  blondie

  Inconsistent - The Watchtower states Gods standard is that blood must not be stored, yet Jehovah’s Witnesses can use fractionated blood derived from stored blood.

  
  

  Hypocritical - Jehovah’s Witnesses use significant quantities of medical products derived from blood, but do not donate to the blood supply.

  
  

  As an example, an immunoglobulin injection is derived from the pooled blood of up to 60,000 people and requires 3 litres of blood in the manufacturing process. If a Jehovahs Witness is willing to have one of these injections, but will not donate blood then they are hypocritically leaching (pardon the pun) off society.

  I tactfully use these points when talking to JWs. It does make a positive impact, especially the "inconsistent" point. Many JWs just "trust" the WTS and don't research what these products area.

  Blondie
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  jgnat

  Never a JW here. Not afraid of blood, no problems giving. Except, like another poster, I've got shy veins.

  Hey, when it comes to elective surgeries and planned events, let your doctor know your preferences. My fear is events that result in a catastrophic loss of blood, like a severed artery.

  Just a point about the blood substitutes. As blondie has pointed out, the blood carriers like hemopure are made from stored blood, so they are not truly artificial. And, though fluid loss can be compensated with substitutes, there is no artificial product that carries oxygen. Oxygen is life.

  The WTBTS has done a good job of demonizing blood, but I'd hate if someone died for lack of blood because it made them 'queasy'.