Transfusion breakthrough as human blood grown from stem cells (page 2)

reniaa

I have a problem with stem cell research anyway outside of Jws. an embryo is a potential human life, it still feel like a form of deeply repugnant science to me and I hope i'm never in a position to benefit from it.

M.J.

"Though embryonic stem cells were used in this experiment, it may be possible to create blood from reprogrammed adult cells, also known as induced pluripotent (IPS) cells. These would circumvent some ethical objections to the use of embryonic tissue."

Hopefully this works as an end-run around the ethical issue.

Thanks for this info!

The WTS allows bone marrow transplants as a matter of conscience (WT, 1984, 5/15 p.31, QFR).

A bone marrow transplant is essentially transplantation of stem cells which subsequently produce blood in the transplant patient's body.

Theoretically "growing" human blood is is pretty analogous to bone marrow transplantation, with the only difference being that the blood is produced in the lab rather than in a transplant patient's body.

So I think it would be logically inconsistent for the WTS to ban this (provided the embryonic issue is circumvented).

On the other hand, I think its allowance would also would muddy the water a bit on the reasoning for the blood ban in the first place.

daniel-p

Nothing like technological advances to confuse religious applications of primitive ethical standards.

james_woods

This will be haled by Dubs as a blessing from jehovah as they will be able to have blood transfused,and one of the big objections from the public is removed.I can hear it now"We must be sooooo near the end that Jehovah wants the work to go ahead apace,so has arranged it that we can now have blood" What about the poor people who have died in the past 50 years?

I suspect that the JWs would be embarrassed to lighten up on the blood policy. This will probably be viewed as just blood from a test tube, and therefore still blood and therefore still wrong for transfusion.

I think they are stuck with the "no blood transfusion" our of a guilt for having killed people over it in the past, a kind of prideful stubbornness over the fact that no other religion has this doctrine (except arguably those that deny all medical treatment), and the secret truth that in the JW world, weird practices that cause ridicule, imprisonment, bodily harm, etc...are actually thought to be good for witnesses. These rules keep the witnesses in line and prove that the persecution is still going strong.

M.J.

bttt

daniel-p

Naa, I think they'll use this as a means to get rid of their inconvenient blood policy as they mainstream the religion. All manner of fractions from real blood are already acceptable... they'll just view this as a fraction too, or as "artificial blood."

Balsam

I think the JW might very well reject this, since it is blood even if it produced artificially. I am sure they are discussing it at we speak here, wondering what to allow the rank and file to to do.

Ruth

BurnTheShips

They are going to be growing a lot more than blood from stem cells. In fact, they already are. It may be that many of us here are going to live a very long time, if we so choose.

I agree with Daniel-P, it is likely they will treat the mainstreaming of this manner of creating blood as a way to reinterpret what is allowed, and eventually make the blood prohibition meaningless as a restriction, since this procedure could presumably replace existing methods. They could explain growing blood like this as "artificial bone marrow" or some such, like an artificial lung or heart and leave it up to individual conscience.

BTS

Transfusion breakthrough as human blood grown from stem cells

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