The Vancouver Sun
June 14, 2000, Wednesday, FINAL
SECTION: News; A1 / Front
LENGTH: 531 words
HEADLINE: Jehovah's Witnesses okay blood transfusions
BYLINE: Ruth Gledhill and Petti Fong
BODY:
Jehovah's Witnesses are to be allowed to accept blood transfusions after an extraordinary U-turn by leaders of the
controversial religion.
Elders have decreed that Jehovah's Witnesses who accept blood transfusions under life-or-death conditions will no longer
face excommunication from their religion.
The move represents the biggest climbdown in the movement since the predicted Armageddon failed to materialize as forecast in
1975. The decision, arrived at by a secret meeting of the 12-member world governing body at the movement's headquarters in
New York, was dismissed as a ''slight adjustment'' by the religion's leaders.
But the mother of a Burnaby woman who died after refusing a transfusion said she hopes the change will prevent similar deaths
in future.
''It's too late for me and my grandchildren,'' said Helen Sorenson of Edmonton. ''But maybe someone else will have a chance at
living now because of this.''
Sorenson's 31-year-old daughter, Audrey Lois Lawson, died in 1987 after giving birth to twins. Lawson had experienced
post-partum bleeding and died of hemorrhagic shock.
When first admitted to hospital, she signed a consent form stating she wanted no blood transfusion for religious reasons.
Lawson was a member of the Jehovah's Witness church, which views life as a gift from God, represented by blood. Witnesses
interprets certain Bible passages to mean that they cannot accept any form of blood transfusion.
Sorenson, who has been raising her grandchildren after her daughter's death, said she does not want them following their mother's
religion.
''It could have been dangerous for them,'' she said Tuesday. ''Many innocent lives were lost because of this decision not to allow
transfusions. I hope no more.''
Ernie Hobbs of Chilliwack, a Jehovah's Witness whose wife Daphine LeFrans Hobbs died during surgery in 1966, said Tuesday
he does not believe the reports about the church's change of heart.
''I haven't heard anything about this. It's not true.''
There are about 14,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in the Lower Mainland, and about 25,000 in B.C., said Al Hamacher, a long-time
member of the church's medical liaison committee.
Hamacher, who also said he doesn't believe the reports that church policy has changed, said in the nearly 50 years he has been a
Witness, he has never known anyone who died from refusing a blood transfusion.
''We die from the same thing everyone else does. Taking blood or not has nothing to do with it.''
The church's decision follows decades of adverse publicity about adults and children who have died or come close to death
because of their faith.
Paul Gillies, spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses in Britain, said the church's teaching about blood has not changed and not
taking blood is still a ''core value'' of the religion.
''It is quite possible that someone who was under pressure on an operating table would take a blood transfusion because they
did not want to die. The next day they might say they regretted this decision. We would then give them spiritual comfort and help.
No action would be taken against them. We would just view it as a moment of weakness.''END
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In the above article, Hamacher says "he has never known anyone that died from refusing a blood transfusion." What is he saying, that the Witnesses that HAVE died from refusing transfusions don't count because they didn't know him, or so few have died that it's not important?
Also, check out Gillies in the last paragraph "...someone who was under pressure on an operating table would take a blood transfusion..."
EXCUSE ME???? that's certainly the time to be making a life or death decision, when you're most likely unconscious........
so what they're saying is "well go ahead and sign the form refusing blood, but if it looks like you may actually DIE, well at that time it's ok to change your mind," that is, if you're still conscious...