My husband died early last year. He contacted a viscious staph infection which infected his blood. He was a baptized Witness and his wishes were that he never take blood. The doctors did not pressure him nor I, but I have to wonder if taking that transfusion would have saved his life? I will never know, but those were his wishes and I made sure they were followed.
Would you support a witness who was refusing a transfusion?
by Caedes 30 Replies latest social relationships
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Metsman
Because of people like Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse blood, medicine has adapted to use bloodless techniques. Hospitals like in Englewood, NJ for example have the technology to perform major surgeries without blood. My father has had hip and knee replacements without the use of blood. Recovery time is faster and you don't have to worry about getting a disease or mishandling of blood by technicians. Thousands die every year just from getting the wrong blood type. The risk isn't worth it. In time, using blood will be obsolete.
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Junction-Guy
In time following lying cults like the Watchtower will be obsolete also.
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R.F.
My mother had a very serious surgery last summer that resulted in a considerable amount blood loss for her. The surgeon said before and after the surgery that he wished mom wasn't a JW and it would help her recovery. I don't think i'd ever been so afraid in my life, but I had to respect her wishes to refuse blood as I would want her to respect my wishes on such matters. Thankfully she's very well at this time.
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Metsman
Junction-Guy, cults do not number 7 million and have 90,000 congregations worldwide. Jehovah's Witnesses are in over 230 lands. Our numbers continue to grow each year while other religions numbers decrease.
Some need to do their research in here. I also know an 80 year old man who had open heart surgery with no blood. They have the technology to do it, you just have to go to the right hospitals. Not all hospitals are equipped to give bloodless medical care.
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jgnat
Metsman, I've seen all the videos and read all the Watchtower literature on the use of blood. I am left with several serious concerns.
1. If prohibition of blood is a religious choice, why all the emphasis on medical alternatives? Life or death should not matter if it is a biblical command.
2. All the bloodless techniques cannot cure a catastrophic loss of blood, as in an accident. Blood transfusions, with all their associated risk, are still the only way to save a person's life in thes cases. The Watchtower glosses over this terrifying outcome, and I think they should be held liable for misrepresenting this fact. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3244/is_200509/ai_n18944814
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sammielee24
Thats a really tough question.
I don't think Witnesses think rationally on the subject but above all that - it's still tough.
If I knew that the rate of success in the persons life with a blood transfusion was very high, but without it, death was imminent and recognizing that a JW is not capable of making such an informed decision, I would be hard pressed to support them. In my mind it would be like standing beside someone who is going to commit suicide and doing nothing - I don't know if I could live with myself. I value the right of people to live their lives but if they are mentally unstable do we still allow them to make their own decisions? Hard question. What if they had a family for whom they were the sole support - too many tentacles reaching out from one question...sammieswife.
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Metsman
jgnat, the bible says abstain from blood. Blood kills so many each year, how can we even begin to say it is a good alternative? Give me a statistic on how many survive from catostrophic blood loss by taking a transfusion. I'm sure the percentage is not good.
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parakeet
As long as the afflicted dub was capable of making the decision, I would not interfere.
However, if he/she was unconscious, comatose, or otherwise incapable of making the decision, I would approve giving them blood if it meant saving their lives. Otherwise, if they died, I would consider myself an accessory to murder.
Better an angry, live dub than a dead one. I'm talking family members here. -
sass_my_frass
My SIL lost a lot of blood in childbirth last year; a dangerous amount. Refused blood of course. I don't know how bad it got but know that she has been weak and unwell since. So I'm able to answer this question for myself: apparently I will not interfere in the case of an adult.
If it was my nieces and nephews though, I'd get in touch with the police and see if there's anything they need to know. I've heard of cases where the state takes the child as ward. I'd be available in case a family member needed to be involved in that. It would make the entire family's deep hatred of me final, but it would have to be done.
As if I'd ever know if something like this was going on...