The Watchtower Society and Their Changing Position On Blood Transfusions

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Vasian

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In 1984 our daughter was 3 yrs old. We were Jehovah’s Witnesses at the time. We all got food poisoning (e-coli) at a local restaurant.
We recovered but our daughter’s illness advanced into Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). What happens is that as the red blood cells enter the blood stream they break in half, and therefore cannot carry life-sustaining oxygen to the body and its vital organs. Also, and at the same time the kidneys completely shut down. If this syndrome is not reversed, death soon follows.
At that time, the one therapy that was successful at turning this condition around was a full red blood cell transfusion known as a, “packed red blood cell exchange”.
Because we were JW’s [we] did not believe in blood transfusions. (Well actually we wanted it for our child but being surrounded by church elders nearly 24/7 during that time, it was very difficult to make our own private choices for fear of being kicked out of the WTS)
Fortunately, I was able to talk to a hospital administrator in private about our dilemma, and she told me that she could get a court order to take it out of our hands, and with that it would get done. End result is that our daughter lived and now lives a happy and healthy life, and now works in a hospital herself.

That was 25 or so years ago. Why am I sharing this story?

Because in 2004 the WatchTower Society, (Jehovah’s Witnesses) announced that they now allow red blood cell transfusions.

The Watchtower Society has officially notified its members (see diagram from 6-15-04 Watchtower) that they may now use hemoglobin (red cells without the membrane) - the largest of all blood components that transports oxygen throughout the body.
http://www.ajwrb.org/Jehovah_s_Witnesses_Accept_Blood_Transfusion.pdfJehovah’s

If you were not able to open the links herein go to: ajwrb.org/

The article and pdf.file are at the top of the page.

I know others who were not as fortunate as we were, and lost a love one for not allowing this life saving transfusion of red blood cells.
I know of two others that did allow the transfusion and were disfellowshipped (total excommunicated) for doing so because they got caught.
Even after this “new light” from the WTs they were never invited back to the church, nor was their disfellowshiping reversed.

And, they claim to be “God’s Organization On Earth Today”
Again… I am not bitter, I am saddened.
But, I also want others to know how the WTS works diligently at keeping their members in the dark over these matters.
 
That’s a troubling story Vasian.

I’m sure you feel relieved now for your decision.

I can’t help wondering about the JW’s though whose children may have died because of their decision, which was based on a view that has since been overturned.

Perhaps such people are in need lots of prayers and support.

P.S. Do you know why the JW were originally against blood transfusions ? Was there ever a good reason to be against it ?

I’m sure a lot of them are happy now with a changed position from the Church.
 
I work in a blood bank in a hospital lab (part time–usually I work in microbiology).

Yes, I know what hemoglobin is. But I’ve never seen a component called “hemoglobin” that is separated from the RBCs. Could you give more information? I tried googling it, but couldn’t find any information about an actual transfusable component.

Is this component a special order that has to be shipped to hospital blood banks from the big blood banks?

I’ll ask the Blood Bank Supervisor about it today during work.

Thanks.
 
I’ve never understood the thinking of either Jehovah’s Witnesses nor Christian Scientists.

God gives many gifts. One is the ability to heal which he gives to physicians, scientists, and nurses. I don’t know what is so difficult about acknowleding that gift by participating in a miracle.

Glad you were able to save your child. God Bless.
 
Cat said:
I work in a blood bank in a hospital lab (part time–usually I work in microbiology).

Yes, I know what hemoglobin is. But I’ve never seen a component called “hemoglobin” that is separated from the RBCs. Could you give more information? I tried googling it, but couldn’t find any information about an actual transfusable component.

Is this component a special order that has to be shipped to hospital blood banks from the big blood banks?

I’ll ask the Blood Bank Supervisor about it today during work.

Thanks.
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Sorry, I do not know the technical details of what they mean.
All I remember of our own experience was that while they were transfusing what we were told were "packed red blod cells into her arm, they were at the same time removing blood from her via a vein in her lower leg.
 
But Vasian, are you SURE about this revised policy being a official JW teaching? The website in the link is not the official watchtower website. The website you referenced is “the official website of associated jehovah witnesses for reform on blood”. Note the, 'FOR reform on blood". I’m thinking this site was made by JWs who want blood reform, not current teaching? Am I incorrect? Would you happen to have anything new or old that comes from the official documents put out by WTS?
Vasian said:
The entire prohibition on blood was built up around Acts 15:29
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But it says: * That you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which things keeping yourselves, you shall do well. Fare ye well.*

Well, I’m sure yuu know that, as RCs, we are taught that this means we are not to eat the above. It has nothing to do with blood transfusions according to our interpretors and translators. Also, this applies to animal blood, not human blood.

Vasian, my JW friend said something about scriptures telling the JWs that they should “throw it on the ground” or “bury it” or something that I couldn’t find reference to in the Bible, and I didn’t want to ask her for it (I didn’t want to open up a dialog about it with her) and I was wondering if that was one of the mis-translations that they are going by. Do you know to what she is referring?
 
I’ve always found it curious how the JW’s rationalize the blood issue, and yet, it’s okay to use contraception. In other words, it’s seems more plausible in regards to the CC’s stance on contraception, but the blood issue from the JW standpoint is ambiguous at best. As their short history has often shown, if it’s the opposite of others, and especially of the CC, than it must be the right way.:rolleyes:
 
BTW Vasian, praise be to God that your daughter was/is safe. There are many that I have known of that were not so fortunate. I’m quite certain that there will be no responsibility assumed by the WTS for these tragedies, as that was “old light.”
 
Rence said:
But Vasian, are you SURE about this revised policy being a official JW teaching? The website in the link is not the official watchtower website. The website you referenced is “the official website of associated jehovah witnesses for reform on blood”. Note the, 'FOR reform on blood". I’m thinking this site was made by JWs who want blood reform, not current teaching? Am I incorrect? Would you happen to have anything new or old that comes from the official documents put out by WTS?

But it says: * That you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which things keeping yourselves, you shall do well. Fare ye well.*

Well, I’m sure yuu know that, as RCs, we are taught that this means we are not to eat the above. It has nothing to do with blood transfusions according to our interpretors and translators. Also, this applies to animal blood, not human blood.

Vasian, my JW friend said something about scriptures telling the JWs that they should “throw it on the ground” or “bury it” or something that I couldn’t find reference to in the Bible, and I didn’t want to ask her for it (I didn’t want to open up a dialog about it with her) and I was wondering if that was one of the mis-translations that they are going by. Do you know to what she is referring?
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Rence,
This isn’t really true…as Catholics we can eat blood…witness how popular blood sausage has been in Catholic Europe…and as to strangled animals…I find nothing in Catholic doctrine that would prohibt this…nor from eating meat that was “sacraficed” as long as we are not eating it as a sacrafice…though there’s a long discourse in that last issue.
Burying blood is (or was) an orthodox jewish practice.

I’m always amazed and amused by JWs that stick stringently to the “no blood” thingy…not eating rare or medium rare steak…without considering the fact that the blood is still in the meat even when it’s cooked…and the prohibition is against blood period…cooked or not. Nor do they prepare their meat in the prescribed manner by salting it before cooking to draw out the blood. Lip service…all lip service.

I’ve been given to understand that the Society is changing on the blood issue and that all except whole blood are now “matters of conscience.”

Organ transplants used to be prohibited as well being compared to cannibalism…eventually the blood thingy might change.

Vasian,

Was it the blood issue that helped you find your way out?
 
This doesn’t suprise me. Cults are like that. Mormons have changes some of their kerigma over the recent years to suit the livestyles & investment habits of board members.
 
Vasian said:
The entire prohibition on blood was built up around Acts 15:29
Click to expand...
If you read that verse without taking it into context you can believe that it prohibits the drinking of blood but that is not true. Consider Romans 14:2 “A man of sound faith knows he can eat anything…” and Romans 14:17 “The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking…”. Everything created by God is good and nothing is forbidden.

So it appears we have a conflict which we know is not possible. Acts 15 was to appease a group known as the Judaizers who were complaining about the customs of the Gentiles. So the judgment was that they were to refrain from those things such as drinking blood. This was not a church wide decision and applied only to three locations as shown in Acts 15. When the last of the Judaizers died off about a hundred years later so did this judgment.
 
I think it might have been part of an old Jewish belief that the soul resided in the blood. Perhaps this might be connected to the JW (previous) prohibition.
 
Cat said:
I work in a blood bank in a hospital lab (part time–usually I work in microbiology).

Yes, I know what hemoglobin is. But I’ve never seen a component called “hemoglobin” that is separated from the RBCs. Could you give more information? I tried googling it, but couldn’t find any information about an actual transfusable component.

Is this component a special order that has to be shipped to hospital blood banks from the big blood banks?

I’ll ask the Blood Bank Supervisor about it today during work.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
This is the only thing I found:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemoglobin-based_oxygen_carriers

In a nutshell it says:
*Two main types of blood substitutes are in development, haemoglobin-based oxygen carriers and perfluorocarbon emulsions. As of June 2008 there are no haemoglobin-based oxygen carriers or perfluorocarbon emulsions available for commercial use in North America or Europe.[1][2] The only countries were these products are available for general use is South Africa and Russia.[1]

This is due to the fact that they significantly increase the risk of death and myocardial infarction.[3] It has been recommended that further phase III trails not be conducted until these products are as effective as the current standard of care.[1]

Optimism about near term approval of oxygen carriers has decreased recently due to poor result from a number of clinical trials.[1]*
 
Yerusalyim said:
Rence,
This isn’t really true…as Catholics we can eat blood…witness how popular blood sausage has been in Catholic Europe…and as to strangled animals…I find nothing in Catholic doctrine that would prohibt this…nor from eating meat that was “sacraficed” as long as we are not eating it as a sacrafice…though there’s a long discourse in that last issue.
Burying blood is (or was) an orthodox jewish practice.

***You’re absolutely right. I don’t know what I was thinking. But now I’m thinking I should not be multitasking as much as I do 😛 I guess I’m too familiar with bleeding out animals before dressing them, which is NOT something we (me) do for religious purposes. I didn’t even think of blood sausages. ***

I’m always amazed and amused by JWs that stick stringently to the “no blood” thingy…not eating rare or medium rare steak…without considering the fact that the blood is still in the meat even when it’s cooked…and the prohibition is against blood period…cooked or not. Nor do they prepare their meat in the prescribed manner by salting it before cooking to draw out the blood. Lip service…all lip service.

I]I don’t understand that part at all. Not to mention that the passages (not all of them) mention abstaining from fat. And what about breastfeeding? is that not consuming WBCs? How is that different?
Click to expand...
I’ve been given to understand that the Society is changing on the blood issue and that all except whole blood are now “matters of conscience.”

Organ transplants used to be prohibited as well being compared to cannibalism…eventually the blood thingy might change.

Vasian,

Was it the blood issue that helped you find your way out?
 
Vasian said:
In 1984 our daughter was 3 yrs old. We were Jehovah’s Witnesses at the time. We all got food poisoning (e-coli) at a local restaurant.
We recovered but our daughter’s illness advanced into Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). What happens is that as the red blood cells enter the blood stream they break in half, and therefore cannot carry life-sustaining oxygen to the body and its vital organs. Also, and at the same time the kidneys completely shut down. If this syndrome is not reversed, death soon follows.
At that time, the one therapy that was successful at turning this condition around was a full red blood cell transfusion known as a, “packed red blood cell exchange”.
Because we were JW’s [we] did not believe in blood transfusions. (Well actually we wanted it for our child but being surrounded by church elders nearly 24/7 during that time, it was very difficult to make our own private choices for fear of being kicked out of the WTS)
Fortunately, I was able to talk to a hospital administrator in private about our dilemma, and she told me that she could get a court order to take it out of our hands, and with that it would get done. End result is that our daughter lived and now lives a happy and healthy life, and now works in a hospital herself.

That was 25 or so years ago. Why am I sharing this story?

Because in 2004 the WatchTower Society, (Jehovah’s Witnesses) announced that they now allow red blood cell transfusions.

The Watchtower Society has officially notified its members (see diagram from 6-15-04 Watchtower) that they may now use hemoglobin (red cells without the membrane) - the largest of all blood components that transports oxygen throughout the body.
http://www.ajwrb.org/Jehovah_s_Witnesses_Accept_Blood_Transfusion.pdfJehovah’s

If you were not able to open the links herein go to: ajwrb.org/

The article and pdf.file are at the top of the page.

I know others who were not as fortunate as we were, and lost a love one for not allowing this life saving transfusion of red blood cells.
I know of two others that did allow the transfusion and were disfellowshipped (total excommunicated) for doing so because they got caught.
Even after this “new light” from the WTs they were never invited back to the church, nor was their disfellowshiping reversed.

And, they claim to be “God’s Organization On Earth Today”
Again… I am not bitter, I am saddened.
But, I also want others to know how the WTS works diligently at keeping their members in the dark over these matters.
Click to expand...
I’m very glad it ended well for your daughter! Praise be to God!

I am disappointed that no Jehovah’s Witness has yet responded to your post.
 
abucs said:
I think it might have been part of an old Jewish belief that the soul resided in the blood. Perhaps this might be connected to the JW (previous) prohibition.
Click to expand...
Perhaps, but keep in mind that the WTS’s ideas about the soul are polar opposite of most Christian denominations. In fact, they don’t believe in it at all. They believe in the “spirit”, the life force, that dwells in the human body, and when the body dies, the person is “only sleeping”.
 
SingleMomMonica said:
I’m very glad it ended well for your daughter! Praise be to God!
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Thank you!
I am disappointed that no Jehovah’s Witness has yet responded to your post.
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There are those that will not because they are not allowed to engage in conversation whatsoever (athough Elders are allowed) with someone like me, and then there are those that most likely know that there is little to state considering that it is fact.
 
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