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

by AndersonsInfo 71 Replies latest watchtower medical

• 

  thetrueone

  Until recently, there were no studies either supporting or negating blood transfusions -- or at least none that the medical community paid attention to.

  Your joking right ?

  Yes there has been medical complications involving BT but you totally forgot to mention the millions of lives saved by the use of this medical procedure,

  since its inception into the medical field.

  Lets be open and honest on the subject.

  Yes there are known risks involved but the risks of not using the procedure many times over rules to do,

  thats why its important to weigh the risk in a balanced and professional way.
• 

  AllTimeJeff

  Any medical procedure at all has inherent risks. That doesn't mean that ruling them out is an option worth taking. The fact is that JW's have taken control of the argument by demonizing the procedure and blood medicine.

  The real discussion is the legitimate argument that blood transfusions are indeed real medicine, something that the GB spends most of their days arguing against.
• 

  TD

  Blood transfusions have been used as a standard medical procedure for over 100 years.

  You could correctly state that the modern era of blood transfusion began at or about 100 years ago, but as it is worded, that statement comes across as an exaggeration.

  In 1910, artery to vein transfusions using the Carrel technique were the method of choice, since there was no practical way to store blood. The Carrel technique involved surgically sewing a donor's artery to a recipient's vein. It was dangerous, extremely painful and cumbersome. It had its advocates and sharp critics within the medical profession. In the U.S., about 60 transfusions of this type were performed a year.

  The use of Citrate Phosphate Dextose as a storage anticoagulant was first published by Lewisohn in a paper in 1915, but doctors were extremely suspicious and slow to accept it because it is toxic in sufficient quantities. Even with the millions of serious injuries incurred during the Great War, only hundreds were transfused.

  The first real storage of donor blood for transfusion occured around 1925 or so in Great Britain under the direction of Percy Lane Oliver. Donor pools and storage facilities were slowly organized in other countries during the late 20's and 30's, but doctors still debated the usefullness of the procedure. It took World War II to change that.

  Transfusion did not become a standard medical procedure until the post war era.
• 

  flipper

  BARBARA- Thanks once again for a very informative work of writing. Like the poster Mary- I have mixed emotions concerning the lady Kitty's comments at the end of your article.

  On the one hand it is good that possibly the WT society has come to see the error of it's ways ( highly doubtful motive as they NEVER admit they are wrong ) in regards to this summer making a new policy possibly of blood transfusions being a " conscience " matter. O.K. Fine. That helps all the LIVING witnesses from that time forward. But on the OTHER hand it DOES NOT relieve the WT society of moral ineptitude and irresponsible policy's of the past which killed hundreds of thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses allowing them to die due to being misinformed ! If, in fact , the WT society is considering changing this policy - the only motive is legalistic in protecting their backsides from prospective lawsuits which probably happen to be in the works. It's certainly not because they care about their members ! The WT society is still bloodguilty for the thousands of people they misinformed- leading to their mind controlled deaths. The WT society should legally be held responsible for ALL blood transfusion deaths in the past.

  I would compare it similarly to the time in the early 1970's where the WT society told married couples it was a disfellowshipping offense to have oral sex in marriage. Then, at that time, many JW marriage mates divorced each other over that policy because of being misinformed by the WT society it was scriptural grounds for divorcing. Then for a few years they CHANGED the policy saying oral sex was a conscience matter. Well then, WHO was responsible for those marriages going asunder and resulting divorces ? The freaking WT society- that's who ! Then they flip-flopped back to the stricter view limiting oral sex in the early 1980's. Ridiculous.

  The point I'm making is : People dying from blood transfusions is a hell of a lot more important of a liability than liability for people divorcing for oral sex . That being said : Whether it's the WT society's changing views on blood transfusions, oral sex, " generation " views, Malawi JW members dying for not signing political party cards as opposed to Mexico JW members being allowed to join the military service - ALL of these policy's by the WT society has DRASTICALLY affected and damaged Jehovah's Witnesses lives in ways that can't even be calculated by monetary damages. The moral lack of character of the WT society screams out loud that it is a mind control cult which is much more dangerous than most of the general public is aware. And they are deserving of any and all lawsuits which embattled and embittered members bring againstthe organization. O.K. End of my rant. I'll exhale now
• 

  Yizuman

  Barbara,

  I do adore your work and the face of courage you put forth upon the ugly face of the WTS. But I can't help but think the headline topic of this thread to be a bit misleading. Thousands each year?

  Hundreds per year perhaps, but thousands? Is there some sort of satistics or research materials that supports this claim?

  Nonetheless, you're doing a fine job.

  Yiz
• 

  Pistoff

  Thanks for your hard work, Barbara.

  The blood issue is one that I supported, of course, when I was an active witness.

  I remember the day that it changed for me. I was sitting in the kingdom hall, listening to a talk about child sacrifice and how repugnant it was.

  I remember feeling the blood drain from my head as I realized that as a witness parent, I had been prepared to allow my child to die for the sake of a policy I no longer understood.

  Refusing blood for a minor child is the modern-day equivalent of sacrificing a child on the altar.

  It wasn't long afterwards that I realized that by refusing blood, as the symbol of life, we had made the symbol of life more important than the reality.

  It made less and less sense, and my anger began to build over the policy.

  The anger became even more intense as the society moved away from the position that they had held for so long, but not honestly.

  They came up with the incredible, cynical, backhanded and dishonest policy that while whole blood, and "fractions" were not allowed for Christians, portions smaller than fractions were allowed.

  This is a policy that is intellectually and morally bankrupt; smaller fractions of blood are not possible without fractions of blood. Fractions of blood are not possible without blood. Donated blood is not possible without generous blood donors, something that is forbidden for a Witness.

  I am not a fan of analogies; however, here is the analogy for an active witness: you may not eat beef stew. You may not eat the beef, you may not drink broth, you cannot eat the vegetables. But, you may cut up the vegetables even smaller, along with the beef, and eat them as long as you puree them first, NO LIMIT, as long as they are "tiny fractions". As long as those pieces are cut smaller than the portions contained in the beef stew to begin with, you are not at odds with the current leadership; you're able to say that you are not eating beef stew.

  And that demonstrates the moral and intellectual character of current Watchtower leadership.
• 

  thetrueone

  In reply to JustPassing post, Jon Barron is a New Age Nutritiousness who is mostly vehemently apposed to

  modern medical practices with a background intension of selling natural organic remedies to cure illnesses.

  He is not an MD of any sort, so when you hear him make comments regarding blood transfusions

  and the killing millions of people, take his statements with the proverbial tainted bias.

  As far as what can be gathered on the death of JWS per/yr. it could easily and confidently state that

  there are hundreds ever year that will make this fatal mistake based on loosely

  devised religious dogma that flip flops and changes from year to year and the hearsay now is

  that they are talking about making it conscientious matter with no repercussions placed on the individual

  on their decision. Frankly I don't see that happening myself, because it would open too many doors to law suits

  pertaining to wrongful deaths. Besides it would also fracture apart that self imposed image that this organization

  is the only earthly organization that god is guiding through his holy spirit ( Bullshit ) etc. etc.

  And we all know how important it is to maintain that image for marketing purposes.
• 

  peggy

  justpassing----Your words brought such pain! How many die each year from receiving blood????? Have you ever sat with someone who's blood was pouring out of their body? Who's lips went completely WHITE!!!??? My daughter NEEDED BLOOD!!!

  The liason brother was there, he knew what was happening! In front of me to another elder he said "her husband BETTER make the right decision" . That meant, he better let her DIE!!!!

  Well thank GOD or who ever, he made the right decision and she LIVED!

  The punishment? 30 days private reproof. That is all.

  I can not share again on this subject! It is to emotionally painful!
• 

  thetrueone

  The punishment? 30 days private reproof.

  So this what all one human life is worth now 30 days of private reproof.

  I always thought that JWs were mentally and morally screwed up but that is just way over the top.

  Peggy sorry for your past problems regarding your daughter, I hope she's all well now,

  I wasn't so lucky.

  My mother passed away in a hospital 3 years ago when my father pulled out

  his no blood card pertaining to my mothers serious blood infection, she passed away a couple

  of days latter.
• 

  AndersonsInfo

  Yiz: Maybe you ought to go back and reread my article. I thought I did present evidence, not total facts because there are no firm figures from every place on this earth where upward of 7 million Witnesses live, to prove that a few thousand of them die each year because of the blood-ban.

  Justpassing: You wondered how many people died each year from taking blood transfusions? Well, I wonder how many Witnesses die each year because of taking processed blood fractions? It is known that these products such as cryoprecipitate, a plasma product, may also harbor blood-borne pathogens such as West Nile and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease that can be passed along to an unsuspecting patient.

  I certainly don't want to risk high-jacking my own blog article, but I wanted you to know there is a possibility of becoming infected with a blood-borne pathogen when taking blood in any form; so in light of this, WT is not as caring about its members as many think when forbidding whole blood, or the four so-called major components, on medical grounds, yet will allow JWs to take all processed blood fractions.

  I have a medical article written by a JW physician, Harvey Jon Schiller, who lives at WT's Patterson complex and is part of the medical department there, where he states,"that there is, and will likely continue to be, some element of hazard" from a blood-borne pathogen when JWs take processed blood fractions.

  Open Mind: Appreciate your suggestion about changing my title to, "Untold Thousands of JWs Have Died Due to Refusing Blood". I agree that your suggested title is not as sensational as my title and theme, and at this point in time, your title is too understated for me.

  Your way is the way I believe we’ve approached this issue for many years and I don’t agree with that stance anymore. We owe it to the sincere and loyal Witness dead to make noise about what we know. It’s the least we can do. I often think (though not to be taken literally) that “There by the grace of God, go I” because for 43 years I would have chosen to die other than break God’s law on blood as taught by the WT and I would have died for nothing. What I wonder is why some on this board are so concerned about my statements on this subject appearing too sensational. Or they are fearful of making JWs upset. If I worried about all of that, I wouldn’t have gone ahead with the pedophilia expose’. Many former JWs were against going public and said I needed proof and more proof of my claims. Well, nearly ten years later, the undisputed facts are available from thousands of victims’ mouths and many court records that WT was guilty as charged. Inasmuch as the dead will never find out about the farce that WT inflicted upon them, I hope that we can inform the living of just how large that mortality rate is because of this no-blood travesty.