One step closer to a possible JW blood transfusion solution

by sir82 28 Replies latest watchtower medical

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  talesin

  konceptual, hey. :)

  Well, they certainly didn't make martyrs of the adults who died from lack of a transplant, as they did with the children who died needing blood (as far as I know, there were no Asleep! articles about the brave ones who died refusing transplants), so perhaps it was more common than we think ........... I am not saying for sure, just my own experiences.
  
  I did know two couples who had the court order transfusions, and took custody of their child. One was an infant, who was going to die anyway. The poor little boy lasted a few weeks, and they gave the parents his body. That was very sad, as the infant had no chance at survival anyways. The other case was quite spectacular. The child was about 13/14 years old, and was having a tonsillectomy. Her parents kidnapped her from the hospital and fled the province, as she had an hemmorage (sp?), and the doctors had gotten a court order in case she needed a transfusion. Luckily, the child was okay. The family was quite wealthy, and I'm sure had an excellent lawyer to defend their kidnapping.

  Man, I really hate this cult!

  xx

  tal
• 

  rebel8

  Saving your own embryonic stem cells is not pouring it out on the ground. IIRC the Israelites had rules about disposal of such matter?

  Also, this is the same cult that's so obsessed with "origins".
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  No Apologies

  I am confused when I see comments about how this could solve the Watchtower's blood "problem". I don't think they have a blood problem. They have a convoluted policy on the medical use of blood, and it makes headlines once in a while, and some JWs have lost their lives trying to obey their misguided rules. Do you really think anyone running this org loses any sleep over this? Do you see any evidence that rank and file JWs are unhappy about the blood issue? Is there going to be some kind of mass uprising or schism due to the blood policy??? I seriously doubt it.

  No Apologies
• 

  konceptual99

  I can see your point NoApologies and I would agree there is no simmering rebellion about blood in the ranks. What there is however is an institutional inability to just drop certain doctrines. The irony is that they can change things like the generations over and over again, modify the F&DS etc. yet cannot bring themselves to bring some sense to the table on blood, birthdays and so on.

  I do think that the hubris and pride in the upper echelons of the organisation prevents them moving unless reality forces an issue. I am still of the opinion that the potential legal risks also play a part in the reluctuance to simply drop the blood restriction but can see an argument on why there could be alternative views on the impact of this on their intransigence.
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  Band on the Run

  I think they would ban its use. Their stand on blood is not scriptural. It is twisted and illogical. No one else reading that scripture ever banned blood. It would show who is in power on the GB.
• 

  Justitia Themis

  since JWs say no blood can be taken into the system then they would reject it

  Is that core issue?

  Or, is the core issue that blood that exits the body must not be put back in a body but must be 'poured out' on the ground? This theory allows the use of the 'cell-saver' machine. The blood is routed through tubing and cleaned, but the tubing is considered an extension of the JW's circulatory system; hence, no blood 'leaves' the body.

  If it is the latter, then simply using a few cells to grow new blood (that has never been in a body) could easily be a conscience matter.
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  defender of truth

  http://jwtalk.net/forums/topic/14809-manufactured-blood-from-adult-stem-cells-close-to-human-testing/#entry211560
• 

  Vidiot

  No Apologies - "I don't think they have a blood problem. They have a convoluted policy on the medical use of blood, and it makes headlines once in a while, and some JWs have lost their lives trying to obey their misguided rules."

  I'd call a flawed ideology-based prohibition that results in needless deaths and places the organization in a precarious legal position a bit of a problem.

  No Apologies - "Do you really think anyone running this org loses any sleep over this?"

  Not over the individual lives who've been lost.

  Over the previously-mentioned precarious legal position, though?

  Absolutely.

  No Apologies - "Do you see any evidence that rank and file JWs are unhappy about the blood issue?"

  Does it bother rank-and-filers? Not until it impacts them personally in a negative way.

  I assure you, many become very unhappy about it when that happens, particularly because they've been led (in many subtle ways) to believe that in many instances, their chances are better without taking transfusions.

  No Apologies - "Is there going to be some kind of mass uprising or schism due to the blood policy??? I seriously doubt it."

  And you are correct; there will never be a "mass uprising" against the WT heirarchy, for any reason.

  Passive/agressive rebellion, a slow and steady hemmoraging (no pun intended) of membership, and a dwindling of revenue flow, though?

  Absolutely.
• 

  Vidiot

  Band on the Run - "I think they would ban its use."

  There's a rather dark, twisted part of me that almost kinda hopes they will, simply because I'm certain that they'd experience serious blowback from the decision (just as they're almost certain to experience blowback for digging in their heels on the particulars of the WTS's child abuse policy).

  I find a prohibition on it very unlikely, though...

  ...the XJW grapevine has long hinted (from pretty reliable and credible sources) that the WTS has been wanting to quietly phase out the blood ban for a while now (without actually looking like they're phasing it out, of course); anyone with half a brain should realize that making synthetic (or synthetically-generated) blood a "conscience issue" would be too tempting a bail-out for them to pass up.

  You never know, though; the really crazy-ass zealots on the GB (there must be at least some, right) might just decide to pull a Rutherford and carry the day.