by minimus 26 Replies latest jw friends
I am not sure what I would have done. Unless it touches your skin its hard to predict. I do know of staunch jws who would give blood if push came to shove.
I know a jdub that confided that if any of her kids needed blood, she would allow it secretly. Then when confronted by the elders she would lie and say she didn't allow blood. I wonder how many secretly take it.
If my child needed blood to survive they would have had it. I wouldhave condemned myself before letting them die.
When I was born, there were complications and my mom signed a document refusing me blood. My dad, a nonJW, told the doctors or nurses to lose the document and give me anything I needed to survive. I had transfusions that saved my life.
Over 4 years ago when my son was born, it was in the back of my mind that complications may occur and it would have been a tough decision but I would have had him get a transfusion if needed. He didn’t.
I left the cult about 8 weeks into my wife’s second pregnancy and I told her – “Without a doubt, I will approve a transfusion if needed for our baby.” At the time she told "That will be between you and god." I asked her if she needed one, would she want me to approve one? At the time she said No. Now however I think she would get one if needed as she is in her fade.
Haven't had to face that yet. I expect it'll be hell from the Mrs. if such a scenario came up. But I'd do what I had to do to save the kids' lives. Ironic. Without a blood transfusion, my wife would not have survived infancy herself, yet I suppose I'd have to fight her to give the same chance to her own children. On the other hand, she has the advantage of claiming her apostate husband overruled her, bastard that he is. So...there you have it.
--sd-7
I don't knwo what I would have done had the situation actually happened to me. I hope that I would have had the good sense to allow a transfusion for my kids or my husband or myself, but I was pretty deep in the koolaid for a while. I am so glad I don't have to worry about that anymore.
Reading all these stories makes me think of all the Dubs that died because of refusing blood before the "new light" on blood fractions. If folks filed suit against them for all the family members that were lost because of that, they wouldn't be the huge real estate and publishing company that they are now !
Haven't had to face that yet. I expect it'll be hell from the Mrs. if such a scenario came up.
Here's hoping that you don't. If it ever does happen though, they only need the consent of one parent.
I believed in the resurrection and eternal life in paradise. Of course I would have refused to give consent to blood.
Wow. That's a lot to answer for.
I reflected on the fact that my parents would rather have seen me dead than transfused. I asolutely know this.
Me too, Sulla.
It's poor enough the Watchtower regarded us as mini-adult, child-units who didn't deserve birthdays. They nurture a weird sort of sociopathy in Jehovah's Witness parents so that you can never, truly, expect them to look out for their childrens' best interests.
My JW parent had/has a Munchausen's by Proxy thing with me, and only me, to the point where I can never fully trust her inclinations with my healthcare. That warrants a topic unto itself that I'd like to explore here sometime but it's just too raw for me even in midlife.
Anyway, I have directed Mr. B to tell the hospital I am an orphan with no "next of kin" because I am positive even my siblings (neither of which are baptized JWs) would accept the blood directive to this day. It is that ingrained.
We've discussed it. They would deny themselves, they would deny our parents, they would deny me. I have made it clear that I will take blood. Yet I am squeamish just considering it. Children of the pre-1975 era, that lethal "blood is bad" indoctrination runs so deep.
I am grateful to live in an area that has two excellent hospitals providing alternatives: Englewood and Hackensack. I encourage anyone to look into their programs if JW family is in need of bloodless surgery, blood management, or whatever it's being branded now.
My second pregnancy was high risk and I was put on meds and total bed rest for 6 weeks and she still came a month early. A couplde of days later they came to me and said her bilirubin coun t was high and they were thinking of transferring her to the children hospital a few blocks away. And they mentionned blood. They had the papers where my husband had signed no blood so they were ready.
But they chose to do a second blood test to see if it was still high. My husband was not there yet and I was seriously considering how I could sign the papoers for the blood if needed and not let my husband know.
In the end they came back and said the first test was wrong and she would not be transferred. I think I would have done everythign in my power to keep my husband and the elder who showed up at the hospital with me while they moved her and gave her blood hopefully without them finding out.
I had gone through so much in this pregnancy there was no way I was going to let her die once I had her
