Jehovah’s Witnesses and blood transfusion

Tue, Oct 12, 2010

Editor: I thought it a good idea to acquaint the public about Jehovah’s Witnesses and blood transfusion after seeing a clipping on HLN TV in relation to a Mom in USA who refused to allow one of her twins to have a blood transfusion for a surgery. Some persons tend to develop misconceptions about Jehovah’s Witnesses in this regard.{{more}}

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses really refuse blood transfusions?

Yes. They do. Why? You may ask. Jehovah’s Witnesses primarily refuse a blood transfusion because they believe that the Bible condemns the taking of a blood transfusion. ( Read Acts 15:20, 29) In those verses the scriptures say to “abstain from blood”. “Abstain” means to refrain from doing something. Hence, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the command at Acts 15:20 and 29 means that a patient should NOT take blood into his/her body at all, whether by eating, drinking, or transfusing. Needless to say, they believe that it is also wrong to donate blood, which will mean that the donor is supporting a practice (blood transfusion) that is condemned in the Scriptures.

Furthermore, Acts 15:20-29 also says to “abstain from pollutions of idols and from fornication”. Since this expression clearly means to refrain or keep away from idolatry and from fornication, which are sins mentioned in the Bible, Jehovah’s Witnesses therefore believe that “abstain from blood” means to avoid taking blood into our bodies in any form.

Does this mean that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not care about their

sick family members, relatives, or friends?

The answer is NO. Jehovah’s Witnesses really care about their sick ones. If they did not care, would they have taken their sick family member/relative to the hospital in the first place? So they do care. They believe that they should not break God’s Law on blood to attempt to treat their sick ones. They are willing to accept alternative treatment that do not contain blood.

Can serious operations such as brain surgery, heart surgery, etc., be done without the use of blood?

The answer is Yes. Presently, over 100 hospitals around the world perform serious surgeries WITHOUT using blood. That is a fact. Jehovah’s Witnesses have a video entitled, “Transfusion Alternatives…” that clearly proves that performing serious surgeries without the use of blood are becoming a common practice in some countries. Alternative treatments that surgeons use include Saline solution, Ringer’s solution, Dextran, Fibrin glue pad, Electrocautery devices, etc. On the video cited above, surgeons who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses make comments on the practice of bloodless surgery performed on Jehovah’s Witness patients and the wonderful success they have achieved. One advantage the surgeons mentioned is that bloodless surgery does not carry the risk of contracting diseases.

My purpose in writing this article is not to influence anyone as to the choice of treatment to take. Each of us must decide for ourselves what treatment to accept and which we might want to refuse. That is our right. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe it is wrong to accept blood transfusions or donate blood based on the command at Acts 15:20, 29. That is their right.

Let us all respect each other’s right.

Leroy Roach

Well acquainted with Jehovah’s Witnesses