If Your JW Relative Needed Blood, Would You Force It On Them? (page 2)

wednesday

i have alraeady told my husband that if it were a life and death situation, (generally the only time they give blood now) and he was not awake to answer for himself-hell yes i would let them give blood. I have already told him i'm not letting him die over blood. The only exception to this would be if he terminalally ill and while the blood might help for the moment, it would not save his lief-it that case, we will go with his wishes.

Gamaliel

That's one of your best questions yet (imho).

Yes, I would-- even if it's an adult and even if I knew I was violating the civil rights of that relative. All I would need is some professional assurance on the spot that their probability of survival required the transfusion. I would have to hope for the best and ask for forgiveness later. I might even have to pay civil damages over the act. (I'd be worried sick that the blood was disease-free.)

Although I don't believe the Bible is inspired, I believe we can still effectively follow Christian ideas as a guide (except where common sense, pyschology and science supersedes). But in this case, there would be no conflict. Jesus said, "If a sheep falls into the pit, wouldn't you try to save it -even on the Sabbath?" The very fact that Jesus said Christians SHOULD BREAK THE LAW when a life is endangered should have been enough for JWs never to have forbidden transfusions in the first place.

Gamaliel

Stan Conroy

Hi Will,

I think your arguement assumes that the JW in question wants to die. That is usually not the case. They would rather live, but if they absolutely have to die, they are willing to. They are definitely willing to take other means to survive, which is not the case with your OD example, or your jumper example.

Stan

Will Power

Gam...

The very fact that Jesus said Christians SHOULD BREAK THE LAW when a life is endangered should have been enough for JWs never to have forbade transfusions in the first place.

very well said. Wish I'd thought about that example the last time I was discussing this topic with my husband and the father of our kids. thank you, hopefully I'll get another chance. You don't have a chapter verse for that do you?

will

Ghost of Esmeralda

Only if it was my minor child. And she is a) too young to be a JW and b) too young to make up her own mind.

If it was an adult...no way. I have decided not to take 'recommended' therapies for various illnesses before (not talking about blood) and I wouldn't want anyone to force them on me! I know of what I speak too cause in this situation I knew my relative's wishes would have to be respected (luckily, he recovered without the blood)

If they're an adult, it's their right to choose. But with children...that's another story entirely.

~essie

Will Power

Stan

I doubt suicide is anything but a last resort. (did that come out right?) Humans instinctly want to live.

(assuming everything else tried, failed, etc, even the cow's blood thing - whatever) When a JW is faced with no other option but to take blood or die and they CHOOSE DEATH, then they have CHOOSEN TO DIE, so what if they didn't want to, even worse - a printing company has told them it is what their god wants!

This is in line with an accident or similar - not a terminal, painful, disease

onacruse

Gamaliel, I respectfully disagree. If we choose to invoke Biblical principles, then "do unto others" certainly plays into the issue. In my situation, my folks (who are also still listed as my medical reps) have assured me that they would support my decision to accept blood transfusion, if I so chose.

They have the integrity not to violate my expressed wishes, even though it disagrees with their beliefs. Ethically, and morally, I owe them the same consideration.

WillP:

Anyone who does/believes what the WT tells them, IMO, is making decisions based on this coerced reasoning and should be protected.

In what way is unequivocally accepting the opinion of medical professionals any less of a socially-indoctrinated coercion? Shouldn't we be just as pro-active in protecting ourselves and others against the not-all-that-unusual hubris of doctors?

Craig

Gamaliel

Mt 12:6-8 6 "I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath."

Mt 12:11-12 11 He said to them, "What man of you, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath."

Will,
Of course there's a lot more to this argument. Jesus also said that it was OK for David to break the law by taking the Levite's shewbread for himself and his men. Jesus was already in agreement with the Pharisees in this. Some Pharisees' writings showed that they even agreed that it was OK to "steal" (e.g., food for your family) if life was in danger.
Gamaliel

SixofNine

Craig, I hope you can see the polar opposites of the two scenarios, ie: you, vs your parents.

They accede to your wishes, you live. You accede to their wishes, they die. How big is the difference, how far apart the analogy? As far apart as anything you will ever encounter in life or in death. For me, the answer is easy, given the above, and would only become troublesome where quality of life issues come to play.

Choose life, let god sort out the messy stuff later. Should god choose not to get involved, as in the case of everything that has happened for the last million years, let the JW sort it out himself later .

Actually, I don't believe in fighting battles I can't win, so I wouldn't "fight" or "force" an adult JW to take blood, as there is no mechanism for said fight, that I know of. What I would do is anything (relatively) passive to make it a non-issue, including tampering with/losing their legal documents, or failing to bring up the knowledge I have of their wishes.

SixofNine

Craig, I hope you can see the polar opposites of the two scenarios, ie: you, vs your parents.

They accede to your wishes, you live. You accede to their wishes, they die. How big is the difference, how far apart the analogy? As far apart as anything you will ever encounter in life or in death. For me, the answer is easy, given the above, and would only become troublesome where quality of life issues come to play.

Choose life, let god sort out the messy stuff later. Should god choose not to get involved, as in the case of everything that has happened for the last million years, let the JW sort it out himself later .

Actually, I don't believe in fighting battles I can't win, so I wouldn't "fight" or "force" an adult JW to take blood, as there is no mechanism for said fight, that I know of. What I would do is anything (relatively) passive to make it a non-issue, including tampering with/losing their legal documents, or failing to bring up the knowledge I have of their wishes.

Do I need to repeat this three times? I thought not, lol.

If Your JW Relative Needed Blood, Would You Force It On Them?

Share this