by sd-7 9 Replies latest jw friends
Anyone know of a case of someone who was DF'd, then had an emergency that required a blood transfusion? Let's say they're still loyal to WT and don't want it. Do the elders come to the hospital and stick up for them, or, because they're "no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses", they just leave 'em to get pumped full of blood or to die by their own choice, since either way, they can't take judicial action anyway? Am I explaining that properly? Any thoughts?
SD-7
I tend to think the elders would still back a dfed person who is trying to come back in their refusal of bood.
I wondered about this myself...I'm still on the fence about the blood issue, and was curious WHAT would happen if I needed it? Would the HLC (hospital liason comm) come support me or 'speak' for me? Would my own parents come? It's so NUTS to put someone in such a position all because they are DF'd...
I am pretty sure I know at least one ex-JW who had rejected every single thing about this religion (including blood) and yet did not take blood themselves during a critical medical event. I guess, just out of the custom (superstition?) developed over the years.
Maybe Blondie or somebody else in the medical field could back me up, but I think any doctor would try to respect your personal decision on blood whether or not you were a witness...provided you were old enough and of reasonably sound mind when you told him.
babygirl30, if you would like to talk about the blood issue at any point in time feel free to send me a pm.
Another question: If a JW was taking care of a non JW and the JW didn't allow the non JW to get a blood transfusion, would the JW leadership support the JW? I ask because my mom told me that if she was in care of any of my children in the future, she wouldn't give them a blood transfusion.
Wow I don't know either maybe I'd just take the blood and face the consiquences later. I mean what more could I screw up. I do holidays and it still gets at my conscience from time to time... taking blood to save my life... I think I would if my life depended on it. I know I say no, that's bad but I don't know how my conscience will be at that time.
I'm sorry, I'm having a very hard time comprehending why anyone would want to involve a bunch of self-righteous window washers in a medical decision, let alone to gather medical information from someone who isn't a doctor.
You do NOT need the dubs to speak for you. In most countries you have the right to refuse any medical treatment you wish. Period. Being a dub does not give you any more legal rights.
And why would you want them to? There is overwhelming proof they lie about the risks of blood.
Declining medical care is your choice, just make it an informed one, not a zombified one.
Declining medical care is your choice, just make it an informed one, not a zombified one.
I was horrified a while back when my brother went in for minor surgery. He's an elder, but something of a moron. He's never been very "book smart" and couldn't explain to you the JW blood doctrine without reading word for word from the Society's literature. He had no idea that what blood fractions even are, much less which are and are not permitted. I'm not even joking!
I saw him take the newly-revised folded blood card with medical directive included and check off that he would not accept ANY conscience-optional blood fractions or procedures! He did this without giving it any thought. His idea was simply that "Jehovah hates blood, so I'm not accepting any of it." Thank goodness he came out okay and this was never an issue. How would he explain to his two children that he chose to die over accepting medical procedures that weren't even banned outright by his church leaders!
I had to sit back and politely try to talk him out of it, but he was having none of it.
Another question: If a JW was taking care of a non JW and the JW didn't allow the non JW to get a blood transfusion, would the JW leadership support the JW?
This is what an power of attorney for medical reasons (called a medical proxy in some places) is for. If you live in the U.S., you can sign one and appoint a person you trust to make medical decisions for you in case you are unable to. It's exactly what the dubs use to ensure that someone is there to prevent the doctors from conducting a blood transfusion. You can use the same document to ensure that there is someone there to make sure doctors take whatever measures are available to save your life. If you're over the age of 18, I suggest you execute one. Your mother would have no say over your healthcare decisions if you have one in place.
If a JW was taking care of a non JW and the JW didn't allow the non JW to get a blood transfusion, would the JW leadership support the JW?
I'm guessing "yes", they'd support it. A good example right now is the situation with Michael Jackson's non-Witness kids living with their dedicated-Witness grandmother, Katherine. What happens if one of those kids needs a blood transfusion? They're not Witnesses, but would Katherine Jackson allow them to have a transfusion? If she did, would she be disfellowshipped?
If the above scenario ever happened, I'm pretty sure that the Society would do all that they could in order to keep everything hush-hush. Because it would be a 'lose-lose' situation for them if it ever got got out. If one of Michael's kids died because their grandmother wouldn't allow them to have a blood transfusion, it would probably cause as much outrage in the media as what the pedophile problem did and that's the last thing they want. If, on the other hand, she DID allow them to have a transfusion and it was leaked to the media, there would be outrage amongst the Witnesses that there was a double-standard here, especially for those who were more or less forced to watch their husband/wife/child die due to this screwed-up doctrine.
