Why do Jehovah's Witnesses chose to DIE rather than receive a life giving blood transfusion?

It is a mistaken Ideal that they are not to have blood trasnfussions because of a verse in the bile that tells us to abstain from blood. It however does not mean what they say or how they interpet it. It deal with eating blood and make perfect sense not to eat blood. But the twist scripture around and make it mean as they want it to mean. Someday they will have their eyes opened and see the many mistakes of this cult.

First, the practice of the peoples in the days of the Apostles and before involved the drinking of blood as part of the worship of various deities, and, among some peoples, as a means of gaining supernatural power which they understood to be in the blood. It was this idolatrous purpose and practice which surely motivated God to forbid the drinking of blood in the first place.

Second, it is a scientific fact that blood cannot be completely removed from any living thing that is used for food. Virtually everyone that eats meat or its by-products has "eaten" a large amount of blood during their lifetime. This means that virtually every Watchtower Society members -- unless they are strict vegetarians -- has consumed a large quantity of animal blood during their lifetime.

Third, blood transfusions involve the use of blood for the same purpose as God intended it to be used: as a life giving agent in the blood stream. No worship of alien deities or the gaining of supernatural power is involved. The recipient of a blood transfusion does not "eat" the blood, which would be using it for different purpose. A similar example of this principle should be noted: a skin graft, a kidney transplant, cornea transplant, or the like. A pint of blood given by a willing, healthy donor is a gift of life in much the same way as that of a cornea or a kidney. No violation of any laws of sanctity are involved.

If you really are an RN I'm sure that any hospital you may work at has had seminars on how dangerous blood is.

Don't you wear gloves and observe extremely strict safety measures when going any where near blood?

Even just drawing blood?

Why?

Could it be the danger of contracting a vast number of deadly infections like undetectable early stage AIDS or any new virus that might be untestable in pre-screening?

So then when a person lets even carefully matched blood into their bodies aren't they exposing themselves to the very undetectable deadly infections you yourself so carefully are instructed to protect yourself from?

Think about that every time you put on a pair of protective gloves, goggles or gown to protect yourself.

You say on your profile that you are a Christian. The clear command to abstain from blood in right there in your Bible. A direct command to Christians. If you believe in and trust God who made us why don't you trust His command to abstain from blood?

Don't you believe our Creator knows what is best for us?

You don't say how the patient you cared for did. I imagine that he WAS indeed given volume expanders intravenously. If not, why not? Isn't this standard procedure in any good hospital. The volume expanding IV solutions provide the volume that the patient needs so his OWN body can carry it's own blood effectively and help replace lost blood in the most safe manner. You said IV access could not be done? That just doesn't make sense. Witnesses do not deny IVs of volume expanders or any other medicine.

If the patient was so depleted of fluid that his veins were collapsed and inaccessible medically it is unlikely that anything could have helped him. And if as you claim IV access could not be done how could you give him a transfusion via an IV?

Now here's the facts about Witness patients. We DO accept medical treatment . We want the best medical treatment possible. We will not take blood into our bodies but any other medication or standard fluid is fine.

Did you know that there are now hundreds of hospitals that are bloodless? Having learned how to safely treat Witness patients and seeing how much better the Witnesses recovered without the dangers of blood transfusions these hospitals now offer bloodless treatment to all because it is BETTER medical treatment.

Here is a link to a list of SOME of these hospitals. More are being added all the time. http://www.noblood.org/bloodless-medicine-surgery-...

If you really want the best information about this please read this... http://www.watchtower.org/e/20000108/article_01.ht...

I don't normally respond to spiteful rants - but you seem in need of some educating. Acts 15:28, 29 commands us to ABSTAIN from blood. Please buy a dictionary and look up the meaning of the word "abstain." It means to COMPLETELY avoid, or shun something. Whether you take it in via your mouth, ears, eyes, or through a tube attached to your veins, it's still being taken into your body. Of course the Scriptures don't mention transfusions. Blood transfusions had not been invented in Bible times. The Bible also says we must not kill - is it ok to shoot someone with a gun though because it doesn't mention guns? The Scripture you cite in Leviticus merely backs up our beliefs further. You can quote all the media reports and newspaper articles all you want - (the press love stories like this so expect a lot of inaccurate reporting) but there's nothing evil about putting the laws of Almighty God ABOVE the wishes of men. I have reported this question for ranting and having insulting content.

I am sorry but you are mistaken - we don’t choose to die...we choose to exercise out right of free will & the right to accept/reject particular treatments. We want our nurses and doctors to respect that right and do everything in their power to save us - just without resorting to blood transfusions.

Now I have read all of your responses & I cannot believe the narrow mindedness of some of the answers. Even after the evidence is presented in a reasonable manner & really no one can argue with their reasoning - there are still ignorant comments...have they even read the JW responses here?

Here are some of the facts for those that care to reason on the matter:

1/ we don’t choose to die - we choose to have a safer, alternative treatment which is not repugnant to us

2/thousands and thousands of people die each year across the globe DESPITE blood transfusions yet do you hear any criticisms of their choice?

3/ There are alternatives to blood transfusions & an experienced nurse will know of these in some detail (volume enhancers, etc)

4/ Bloodless heart surgery was pioneered by surgeons treating JWs & is regarded as the best treatment - no blood = faster recovery time

5/Blood transfusions lower recovery time & lower your immunity level - more chance of getting infections etc

6/ Last but more importantly, the New Testament supports the old in its condemnation of blood - abstain from blood means don’t eat it & don’t inject it. Jehovah regards blood as precious - as is evident with Christ spilling his blood as sacrifice for us

Final comment - I lost a lot of blood during a C section but refused a transfusion...my doctor said fine I will just let you die then...the midwifes were horrified - they knew that I wasn’t asking to be let die & they respected my decision...and you know what? I was up on my feet quicker than some who had the transfusion & my conscience was clear

We Choose LIFE.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/article_06.htm

We Chose Better Health Care Alternatives.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/vcae/article_01.htm

Blood Whose Choice Whoice Conscience

http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/article_07.htm

I am very surprised in your lack of experience, in this field...

I mean since it is your profession.

I know 2 nurses, *personally;

and they have no problems with accepting the wishes and

respecting the rights of each and every individual patient.

Why should you?

http://cbs4.com/video/?id=58418@wfor.dayport.com

It is each persons right of life to accept or deny

any treatment or medicine that he or she deems inappropriate.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20031208/article_01.ht...

Also, to notice: is his family; you say

'was up in arms because of the Dr.'s

lack of ability to save him.'

Which in itself is odd,

because Jehovah's Witnesses

already know that death is emminent.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040701/article_02.ht...

And would not be bugging out on / at / towards the Dr.'s.

We are all born in bondage to sin, sickness and death.

http://knocking.org/

Unless, of course they themselves were not Witnesses.

If this is indeed the being the case,

the Dr.'s would have the where-with-all

to explain this to the family.*

It's called a Medical Directive.*

And, where was the Prime?*

You see we also have loved ones that are not Witnesses,

and they take the blood, and Still Die.

Like my mom-in-law.

Who was accepting BT's regularly,

for aiding in her treatment. {NOT}

And she had tubes in her lungs,

pumping anti-botics directly into her lungs;

and wasn't getting better.*

You present your case,

as tho' giving blood were a mysterious cure all...?

...it's NOT, it's DEADLY.

Both my daughter's have a rare blood type,

only 5% of the World population has this blood type.

No Dr., on the planet would give either one of them blood.

It would KILL her.

So, IF you are a nurse, then what would the Dr., do then?

I know.

* the 2 nurses, are family friends and were there with us,

Annette & Donna explained what a "central line" is,

so we could request this for her,

because her veins were blowing out.

You really have some gall to accuse an informed, educated,

morally upright person of sticking to his integrity

towards the Give of life,

our Creator and God and Father in heaven;

even in the face of death.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040701/article_02.ht...

I say he is a Hero...and Bravo!!!

It concerns me that you and the hospital you work for is so lacking in training to treat severe injury without the use of blood. That should be known to the community at large as people may people may want to avoid it. Less than 10% of those now refusing blood are witnesses. UCLA doesn't seem to have a problem with it.

I may be facing this soon myself with heart surgery.

It is very sad to see this happening on a daily basis. It reminds me what Christ said; let the dead bury the dead. These people are spiritually dead, so let them bury each other. They are also murderers in a sense because they are deliberately, though ignorantly allowing people to die because of their spiritual blindness. How horribly sad it will be on the day of judgment when the JW's stand before the Great White Throne judgment and have to give an account of and God shows them all the people they just let die behind some false doctrine. Satan and his demons must really have laughing good time with these folks.

That council sent their decision to all congregations: Christians need not keep the code given to Moses, but it is “necessary” for them to “keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled [unbled meat] and from fornication.” (Acts 15:22-29) The apostles were not presenting a mere ritual or dietary ordinance. The decree set out fundamental ethical norms, which early Christians complied with. About a decade later they acknowledged that they should still “keep themselves from what is sacrificed to idols as well as from blood . . . and from fornication.”—Acts 21:25.

You know that millions of people attend churches. Most of them would probably agree that Christian ethics involve not giving worship to idols and not sharing in gross immorality. However, it is worth our noting that the apostles put avoiding blood on the same high moral level as avoiding those wrongs. Their decree concluded: “If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper. Good health to you!”—Acts 15:29.

Understandably, caring for Jehovah’s Witnesses might seem to pose a dilemma for the physician dedicated to preserving life and health by employing all the techniques at his disposal. Editorially prefacing a series of articles about major surgery on Witnesses, Harvey17 admitted, “I do find annoying those beliefs that may interfere with my work.” But, he added: “Perhaps we too easily forget that surgery is a craft dependent upon the personal technique of individuals. Technique can be improved.”

Professor Bolooki18 took note of a disturbing report that one of the busiest trauma hospitals in Dade County, Florida, had a “blanket policy of refusing to treat” Witnesses. He pointed out that “most surgical procedures in this group of patients are associated with less risk than usual.” He added: “Although the surgeons may feel that they are deprived of an instrument of modern medicine . . . I am convinced that by operating on these patients they will learn a great deal.”

Rather than consider the Witness patient a problem, more and more physicians accept the situation as a medical challenge. In meeting the challenge they have developed a standard of practice for this group of patients that is accepted at numerous medical centers around the country. These physicians are at the same time providing care that is best for the patient’s total good. As Gardner et al19 observe: “Who would benefit if the patient’s corporal malady is cured but the spiritual life with God, as he sees it, is compromised, which leads to a life that is meaningless and perhaps worse than death itself.”

Witnesses recognize that, medically, their firmly held conviction appears to add a degree of risk and may complicate their care. Accordingly, they generally manifest unusual appreciation for the care they receive. In addition to having the vital elements of deep faith and an intense will to live, they gladly cooperate with physicians and medical staff. Thus, both patient and physician are united in facing this unique challenge.

This country has an army of individuals in foreign lands who have put themselves in harm's way - perhaps to the point of death - for what they believe.

But that is thought of as honorable.

We only ask the same. To stick to our beliefs even if it should put us in harm's way, or even death. To us, that is showing honor to Jehovah our God by obeying his command.

Accepting a blood transfusion willingly and without regret is seen as a sin....If he did he would no longer be regarded as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Sad, i know - but you've got to respect their beliefs.