Do "Thousands of JWs die each year" because they refuse blood? I say YES!

by AndersonsInfo 71 Replies latest watchtower medical

• 

  Quillsky

  Peggy, thank you for your story. It made me cry and smile together!!

  Barbara, excellent work as always, from an incredible and ethical woman. May I ask a favor -- could you fix the In Conclusion section please? I want to send your article to a relative, but the ending is confusing (you mention a post by "Wendy" but there is no post by Wendy, and then Jman's post, although excellent, is very long and not indented, so to the reader it appears after a while to be your own words, and yet he is talking as very much a current JW so it's clearly not you.) My advice would be to differentiate the quotes somehow, and then conclude and sign off as yourself at the end?

  Sorry to be critical, but I hope it's constructive.
• 

  aligot ripounsous

  There are, I assume, very few, if any , statistics about JWs dying because they refuse blood. So, as it was put by another poster, we are here on the terrain of opinions and conjectures. Is record kept of all the people throughout the world who died because of transfusions ? of course not, big companies involved in blood trade will see to it.

  I'm not trying here to defend the WTS's stand on blood because it is evident that this stand has been motivated by the policy of calling the attention of the public opinion to JWs at all cost, and it has been modified over the years according to its legal consequences on the org's finances, because of the threat of prosecutions. I'm just pointing out that refusing blood transfusions happens to have been a protection for many a JW (and, as I heard it, many doctors too, they are not ignorant, those). Up to each one of us to infere, or not, that this God's command was not so bad after all.

  On another side, Barbara Anderson has done a tremendous job in exposing the peadophilia problem, and its covering up within the WTS, that is to be put to her credit. As far as I know (may be wrong), I understand that it was this factor, not blood related qualms, which determined her leaving bethel and caused her DFing. Now, as an ex (de facto) JW, I wonder, do we have to ride any anti JW horse ?
• 

  Quillsky

  I would like to raise a question about the Hospital Liaison Committees, and the "permitted" blood fractions. Is there a list anywhere of all fractions permitted by the Governing Body? I have yet to see a list like this on the internet, and yet we know somehow that some or most fractions are permitted.

  If ordinary JW's or their family members cannot find such a list, do the HLC members have such a list? If they do, can this list be made available to other people please? If they don't, then what is the point of a Hospital Liaison Committee? Do they just say "no blood no blood, only saline volume expanders allowed"? or do they really have inside knowledge of the current "light" on fractions? If so, this "light" should be available to everybody!!!!

  I truly would like to see a current and complete list of blood parts "permitted" to Jehovah's Witnesses, as I'm sure would many people who have loved family members enslaved by this blood-guilty organization.

  Anybody?
• 

  Quillsky

  Now, as an ex (de facto) JW, I wonder, do we have to ride any anti JW horse ?

  Aligot Ripounsous, I think with most ex-JW's there are one or two things that open our eyes. For some it is doctrinal, for some it is social, for others it's procedural, for some it is intensely personal, and for yet others it's just a realization that we don't want to be in an apocalyptic cult. Different for all of us, but thank god for our eyes being opened.

  But once our eyes are wide open we can start to appreciate the complete extent of the crap and manipulation. Then the extent of horse-riding you want to do is entirely up to YOU!
• 

  Mickey mouse

  Hi Barb,

  An excellent article! Let's hope that the GB do cast some of their unholy "new light" on the blood issue this year. If they truly want to be in the business of saving lives, this is the one useful thing they could do.

  I think I noticed a typo in the article:

  "73 year old Jehovah's Witness “Doe” went into the hospital because he wasn’t feeling well. Tests reveled his descending heart aorta was tearing and there was some bleeding. Doctors in a small town hospital tried to repair the aorta even though they were aware that blood transfusions were usually necessary during this type of surgery. Complications arose when a caterercatheter that was put into his bladder was seen to have punctured his prostate gland and it was bleeding. By this time Jehovah's Witness “Doe” had lost 1/3 of his blood and his condition was not stable so the aorta operation could not continue. If the Jehovah's Witness had been willing to have blood transfusions, the aorta and prostrate could have been repaired during the operation, but since he was not stable the procedure stopped."
• 

  blondie

  Just in case others post answers here pertinent to Barbara's thread:
• 

  designs

  We'll never know the total number but for one person to die is heart breaking enough.

  My father died this way.

  What more is their to say.
• 

  Heaven

  Marking to read for later. Thanks Barbara! I have often contemplated, if it were possible to document all of the deaths caused by the WTS blood and medical treatment policies over the years, just how massive this would be.

  I lost a family member a few months ago, in part because of the blood doctrine.

  (((( Mary )))) I also lost someone, a cousin, years ago because of this policy. She had 3 children. She was beautiful.
• 

  cantleave

  I believe the statistical probabililty that thousands of JW's die each year is compelling. The acceptance of blood fractions is, I hope, the first step in a change of policy. Maybe autologous blood transfusions will be the next step, this will certainly reduce the risks during a planned surgical procedure. The problems really arise during emergency procedures and that's where you here the old "He probably would have died even if had broken the gods law on blood" tripe. This total disregard for human life makes me sick.
• 

  wobble

  Well done Barbara !

  Whether your guess as to the number is close or not, to get more publicity for these needless deaths is a great thing to do.

  "Which religion causes more deaths than Terrorists, every year ?" may be another way of presenting it.

  Well done, keep up the good work.

  love

  Wobble

  p.s another typo in that bit that MM highlighted it should be PROSTATE gland, not prostrate,