"The Practice" Blood and a Jehovahs Witness

by plmkrzy 19 Replies latest watchtower medical

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  plmkrzy

  (this includes things such as donating your organs and whether you want to be resurrected or not).

  ............. Notice I'm not awake yet! lol! bold is mine.

  That is a good point about being in the same accident with your spouse.

  blondie

  If you come back to this topic, again would you mind telling me what the latest attitude is regarding organ transplants? I know it has probably been discussed here extensively, but I have not even thought about it until right now.

  That is an area I do not recall discussing "thoroughly over the years and I do know of JWs in the past who have had organ transplants or who do have some of their organs listed for donation. It seems to me there was once some debate about "what" organs were ok to donate and what organs were not ok. That subject is not clear to me anymore and it is not one I personally bring up in conversations with family.
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  Sally

  What about the fact that the mother was a nurse? I found that ironic. What did she do at work? Refuse to give blood to her patients? And wouldn't she have had to go to college to get that registered nurse degree? Delivering the baby in the courtroom was over the top too!

  Just my observations.

  Sally
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  blondie

  Hi plm,

  Yes, organ tranplants, receiving and giving, has been a conscience matter for JWs since 1980. There is no differentiation as to what organs. Of course, good JWs would have this procedure without blood. Some JWs will not donate except to a specific JW person so they know if that person is going to use blood or not. Thus most JWs will not donate to a non-JW unless known to them and they agree not to have a transfusion (in the cases of non-JW relatives)..

  The WTS says in 1980 that the cells of an organ are replaced. I talked with a transplant surgeon here in town and he laughed at that statement. "The cells are never replaced," he said, "That is why people must take medication to prevent rejection."

  3/15/80 WT p 31 Questions from Readers

  
  

  Other sincere Christians today may feel that the Bible does not definitely rule out medical transplants of human organs. They may reason that in some cases the human material is not expected to become a permanent part of the recipient’s body. Body cells are said to be replaced about every seven years, and this would be true of any human body parts that would be transplanted

  Then they say:

  Clearly, personal views and conscientious feelings vary on this issue of transplantation. It is well known that the use of human materials for human consumption varies all the way from minor items, such as hormones and corneas, to major organs, such as kidneys and hearts. While the Bible specifically forbids consuming blood, there is no Biblical command pointedly forbidding the taking in of other human tissue.

  Which is very different from this statement in November 15, 1967 WT page 702:

  Humans were allowed by God to eat animal flesh and to sustain their human lives by taking the lives of animals, though they were not permitted to eat blood. Did this include eating human flesh, sustaining one’s life by means of the body or part of the body of another human, alive or dead? No! That would be cannibalism, a practice abhorrent to all civilized people. Jehovah

  So, plm, talk it over with your doctor and your spouse (?). Actually only about 1/4 of all people designate themselves as an organ donor. People are afraid they will be "harvested" too soon after being declared brain dead. Everyone wants to get one when it gets to that point, few want to give. I figure if you will accept an organ transplantation, you should be willing to be a donor if that day comes.

  Blondie
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  blondie

  What did she do at work? Refuse to give blood to her patients?

  Actually, Sally, not every nurse has to give blood to their patients. There is a variety of disciplines in the nursing profession. Otherwise, many nurses trade responsibilities if there is a conscience matter, at least in the hospitals around here. But the WTS gives JWs an out for that.

  11/15/64 WT p 682-3 Employment and Your Conscience
  Therefore, whether a Christian will submit to inoculation with a serum, or whether doctors or nurses who are Christians will administer such, is for personal decision. Christians in the medical profession are individually responsible for employment decisions. They must bear the consequences of decisions made, in keeping with the principle at Galatians 6:5. Some doctors who are Jehovah’s witnesses have administered blood transfusions to persons of the world upon request. However, they do not do so in the case of one of Jehovah’s dedicated witnesses. In harmony with Deuteronomy 14:21, the administering of blood upon request to worldly persons is left to the Christian doctor’s own conscience.

  Thus JW nurses and doctors can administer blood to non-JWs if the non-JW requests it if the JW's conscience allows it.

  Blondie
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  joe_from_kokomo

  Thanks for pointing out that this program was coming on. We taped it off satellite at the 2 am replay and watched it this evening. You're right, it was pretty fascinating! Good casting, too, as Rebecca's mom looked like one of the sisters from our hall!

  I winced when Bobby called the Truth "Voodoo" - wow! Guess that's why they showed the Mom character delivering a baby in the courtroom, to make up for the JWs are all Voodoo worshippers remark.

  I also wondered where the Hospital Liason Committee was. Guess Rebecca musta been a DF'd Jdub, and didn't get no special HLC privileges anymore... bird food like some of the rest of us, eh?
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  plmkrzy

  Thus JW nurses and doctors can administer blood to non-JWs if the non-JW requests it if the JW's conscience allows it.

  There is a sister in our congregation who is very much a JW, a pioneer and a head nurse. Where she finds the time is beyond me. Before I knew her I didn't even realize there was such a thing as "Nurses Associations" and regular seminars to attend etc..

  I hardly ever see to her anymore but I wish I had asked her that question when I spoke to her. I would have liked to hear what she had to say about being in the position she is in and how she handles that subject when it comes up.

  It is well known that the use of human materials for human consumption varies

  That makes it sound like cannibalism, drinking blood and eating livers and kidneys.

  joe_from_kokomo you're welcome
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  plmkrzy

  btw blondie

  3/15/80 WT p 31 Questions from Readers

  Questions from Readers?!!! Who READS THAT! hahahahaha.

  
  In nearly 45 years I probably read those twice! Where on earth to you store all this info? Your computer must be bored-out to what, 10 gigs? LOL!
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  blondie

  Plm, it is the joy of having the WT CD 2001, its search function, and a 30 year background in researching. More BS than you care to read. When dealing with the WTS I figure I have to hang them with their own words. If it is in the WT publications, can it be apostate?

  http://quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com/
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  plmkrzy

  If it is in the WT publications, can it be apostate?

  lol! I know for a fact that some of those kingdom melodies are apostate! HAhahaha!
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  RoadDoctor

  Where was the congregation liason committee? If that situation arises, they have 2 elders on a liason committee at the hospitals to prevent the things happening like it did on the show. Either way, if the girl was not baptized, and having an abortion, defending clients who have done the same, it seems to me she has not professed the so-called faith of the Jehovahs Witnesses.