The quotes
in Blue are comments from JW Files
The quotes in Black are from the Watchtower
Society and Boldfaced and or Underlined for emphasis.
Blood
transfusions spoken of favorably in 1940.
Consolation
12/25/1940 page 19
In New York city
a house wife in moving a boarder's things accidentally shot herself through
the heart with his revolver. She was rushed to a hospital, her left breast
was cut around, four ribs were cut away, the heart was lifted out, three
stitches were taken, one of the attending physicians in the great emergency gave
a quart of his blood for transfusion, and today the woman lives and smiles gaily over what happened to her in the busiest 23 minutes of her
life.
Blood
officially banned in 1945.
Watchtower
7/1/1945, page 201
See, then, that
the Most High and Holy God gave plain instructions as to the disposition
of blood, in harmony with his everlasting covenant made with Noah and all
of his descendants; and see that the only use of blood that he authorized
in order to furnish life to humankind was the use of it as a propitiation
or atonement for sin; and seeing that it was to be done upon his
holy altar or at his mercy seat, and not by taking such blood directly
into the human body; therefore it behooves all worshipers of Jehovah who
seek eternal life in his new world of righteousness to respect the sanctity
of blood and to confirm themselves to God's righteous ruling concerning
this vital matter.
The Society
disallowed the use of "blood fractions".
Awake!
01/08/1954 page 24
We are told that
it takes one and a third pints of whole blood to get enough of the
blood protein or "fraction" known as gamma globulin for one injection. And since from the foregoing it must be admitted that such use of human
blood is highly questionable, what justification can there be for the use
of gamma globulin? Further, those interested in the Scriptural aspect
will note that its being made of whole blood places it in the same category
as blood transfusions as far as Jehovah's prohibition of taking blood into
the system is concerned. - See Leviticus 17:10 - 14; Acts 15:20,
28, 29.
Awake 9/8/1956
page 20
While this physician
argues for the use of certain blood fractions, particularly albumin,
such also come under the Scriptural ban. In fact, these fractions
are being used not only by physicians but also by food processors, and
so it would be well to note the labels on such products to see if they
contain any blood substances or fractions. When in doubt, it would
be best to do without.
The Society
changed and allowed "blood fractions" in 1958.
Watchtower
9/15/1958 page 575
Are we to
consider the injection of serums such as diphtheria toxin antitoxin and
blood fractions such as gamma globulin into the blood stream, for the purpose
of building up resistance to disease by means of antibodies, the same as
the drinking of blood or the taking of blood or blood plasma by means of
transfusions? - N.P., United States.
No, it does not seem necessary that we put the two in the same category, although
we have done so in times past. While God did not intend for man to contaminate
his blood stream by vaccines, serums or blood fractions, doing so does
not seem to be included in God's expressed will forbidding blood as food. It would therefore be a matter of individual judgment whether one
accepted such types of medication or not.
The Society
changed again, and disallowed "blood fractions" in 1961.
Watchtower
9/15/1961 pages 558-599 Respect for the Sanctity of Blood
But regardless
of whether it is whole blood or a blood fraction, whether it is blood taken
from one’s own body or that taken from someone else, whether it is administered
as a transfusion or as an injection, the divine law applies. God has not
given man blood to use as he might use other substances;
he requires respect for the sanctity of blood.
The Society
changes again, and now allows "blood fractions" in 1964
Watchtower 11/15/1964 pages
680, 681, 682, 683
The Society does
not endorse any of the modern medical uses of blood, such as the uses of
blood in connection with inoculations. Inoculation is, however, a virtually
unavoidable circumstance in some segments of society, and so we leave
it up to the conscience of the individual to determine whether to submit
to inoculation with a serum containing blood fractions for the purpose
of building up antibodies to fight against disease. If a person
did this, he may derive comfort under the circumstances from the fact that
he is not directly eating blood, which is expressly forbidden in God's
Word. It is not used for food or to replace lost blood. Here the Christian
must make his own decision based on 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....In
harmony with Deuteronomy 14:21, the administering of blood upon request
to worldly persons is left to the Christian doctor's own conscience. This
is similar to the situation facing a Christian butcher or grocer who must
decide whether he can conscientiously sell blood sausage to a worldly person.
Awake 08/22/1965
page 18
The fact that serums
are prepared from blood makes them undesirable to
Christians because
of the Biblical law against the use of blood. However, since they
do not involve the use of blood as a food to nourish the body, which the
Bible directly forbids, their use is a matter that must be decided by each
person according to his conscience.
Watchtower 6/1/1974
pages 351, 352
Serums or antitoxins
are used. These are obtained from the blood of humans or animals that have
already developed the antibodies for fighting the disease. Usually the
blood is processed and the blood fraction (gamma globulin) containing the
antibodies is separated and made into a serum. When this is injected into
the patient it gives him temporary passive immunity. This is temporary,
for the antibodies do not become a permanent part of his blood; when these
pass out of his body he is no longer immune to the disease. It can thus
be seen that serums (unlike vaccines) contain a blood fraction, though
minute....What, then, of the use of a serum containing only a minute
fraction of blood and employed to supply an auxiliary defense against some
infection and not employed to perform the life - sustaining function that
blood normally carries out? We believe that here the conscience of
each Christian must decide.
Parent's
must not allow children to have blood transfusions.
Watchtower
12/01/1967 page 724
Whereas the Mosaic
law with its provisions about fat was abolished when Christ died as a sacrifice,
the Apostolic Christian Council of Jerusalem reaffirmed God's law to Noah
and applied it to the true Christian congregation. Christian fathers
are obliged to teach this law and enforce it with regard to their minor
children, for by God's law the fathers are the spiritual, religious guardians
as well as the domestic parental caretakers of their underage children. The
Christian witnesses of Jehovah today recognize that fact and follow the
divine rule of conduct. They endeavor to keep their children from violating
God's law to Noah and also the Jerusalem Council's decree.
(Eph. 6:4) Rightly
they try to protect their children from taking foreign blood into them.
Watchtower 6/15/1991
page 18
If you have children,
are you sure that they agree with and can explain the Bible - based stand
on transfusions? Do they truly believe this stand to be God's will?
Are they convinced that to violate God's law would be so serious that it
could put at risk a Christian's prospect for everlasting life? Wise
parents will review these matters with their children, whether they be
very young or almost adults. Parents may hold practice sessions in which
each youth faces questions that might be posed by a judge or a hospital
official. The goal is not to have a youth repeat by rote selected
facts or answers. It is more important that they know what they believe,
and why. Of course, at a court hearing, the parents or others might present
information about the risks of blood and the availability of alternative
therapies. But what a judge or an official would likely seek to learn from
speaking with our children is whether they maturely understand their situation
and options and also whether they have their own values and firm convictions.
Hemophilia
treatments are wrong.
Awake
2/22/1975 page 30
Hemophilia
Treatment Hazard
Certain clotting
"factors" derived from blood are now in wide use for the
treatment of hemophilia,
a disorder causing uncontrollable bleeding. However, those given this treatment
face another deadly hazard: the Swiss medical weekly Schweizer Med Wochenschrift
reports that almost 40 percent of 113 hemophiliacs studied had cases of
hepatitis. "All these patients had received whole blood, plasma, or blood
derivatives containing [the factors]," notes the report. Of course, true Christians do not use this potentially dangerous treatment,
heeding the Bible's command to 'abstain from blood.'
Hemophilia
treatments are allowed now.
Watchtower
06/15/1978 pages 29 thru 31
What, however, about
accepting serum injections to fight against disease, such as are employed
for diphtheria, tetanus, viral hepatitis, rabies, hemophilia and Rh incompatibility?
...This seems to fall into a 'gray area.'... Hence, we have taken the position
that this question must be resolved by each individual on a personal basis....How
concerned should a Christian be about blood in food products? ...This may
call for a degree of care.... Christians, individually, must decide what
to do.
The
Society published what is the main components of blood:
Awake 10/22/1990 page
4
The Main Components of
Blood
Plasma: about 55
percent of the blood. It is 92 percent water; the rest is made up of complex
proteins, such as globulins, fibrinogens, and albumin
Platelets: about
0.17 percent of the blood
White Cells: about
0.1 percent
Red Cells: about
45 percent
The
Society now allows these parts of blood, and most Jehovah's Witnesses are
unaware of this. Where in the Bible is this written?
Awake
6/22/1982 page 25
While these verses
are not stated in medical terms, Witnesses view them as ruling out transfusion
of whole blood, packed RBCs, and plasma, as well as WBC and platelet administration.
However, Witnesses religious understanding does not absolutely prohibit
the use of components such as albumin, immune globulins, and hemophiliac
preparations; each Witness must decide individually if he can accept these.
Watchtower 6/1/1990
page 31 Questions From Readers
Others have felt
that a serum (antitoxin) such as immune globulin containing only a tiny
fraction of a donor’s blood plasma and used to bolster their defense against
disease is not the same as a life-sustaining blood transfusion. So their
consciences may not forbid them to take immune globulin or similar fractions.* They may conclude that for them the decision will rest primarily on whether
they are willing to accept any health risks involved in an injection made
from others’ blood.
That some
protein fractions from the plasma do move naturally into the blood system
of another individual (the fetus) may be another consideration when
a Christian is deciding whether he will accept immune globulin albumin
or similar injections of plasma fractions. One person may feel that he
in good conscience can; another may conclude that he cannot. Each must
resolve the matter personally before God.
*One example
is Rh immune globulin which doctors may recommend when there is Rh incompatibility
between a woman and her fetus. Another is Factor VIII which is given
to hemophiliacs.
Watchtower 10/1/1994 page 31
Currently a small
amount of albumin is also used in injections of the synthetic hormone EPO
(erythropoietin). Some Witnesses have accepted injections of EPO
because it can hasten red blood cell production and so may relieve a physician
of a feeling that a blood transfusion might be needed....As noted, many
Witnesses have not objected to accepting an injection that contains a small
quantity of albumin.
Awake 2/22/1995
page 21
The doctors decided
to provide alternative treatment. Plasma was extracted from the blood,
and thus antibodies attacking my blood cells and kidney tissues were removed.
I was then given injections of Ringer's solution together with albumin. I had discussed this treatment with the doctors and gave them written permission
to administer it.
The Society
does not let an individual store their own blood before an operation.
Watchtower
10/15/1959, page 640
Consequently, the
removal of one's blood, storing it and later putting it back into the same
person would be a violation of the Scriptural principles that govern the
handling of blood....if the blood were stored, even for a brief period
of time, this would be a violation of the Scriptures...Again, if
one's own blood would have to be withdrawn at intervals and stored until
a sufficient amount had accumulated to set a machine in operation, this
too would fall under Scriptural prohibition.
Awake 4/8/1972
29-30
Men of science are
constantly developing new methods for performing surgical operations. The
Journal of the American Medical Association, dated November 15, 1971, described
a procedure for open-heart surgery that employs sever hemodilution. Early
in the operation a large quantity of blood is drawn off into a plastic
blood bag. Though the bag is left connected to the patient by a tube, the
removed and stored blood is no longer circulating in the patient's system.
It is replaced with a plasma volume expander, which dilutes the blood remaining
in the veins and which gradually dissipates during the operative procedure.
Near the conclusion of the operation the blood storage bag is elevated,
and the stored blood is reinfused into the patient..... These techniques
are noteworthy to Christians, since they run counter to God's Word. The
Bible shows that blood is not to be taken out of a body, stored and then
later reused.
Blood
outside the body is now permitted as long as it is flowing continuously,
and so is Hemodilution.
Watchtower
3/1/1989 pages 30 & 31
Do Jehovah's Witnesses
allow the use of autologous blood (Autotransfusion), such as by having
their own blood stored and later put back into them?
This clearly rules
out one common use of autologous blood - preoperative collection, storage,
and later infusion of a patient's own blood....Jehovah's Witnesses, though,
DO NOT accept this procedure....In a somewhat different process, autologous
blood can be diverted from a patient to a hemodialysis device (artificial
kidney) or a heart - lung pump. The blood flows out through a tube to the
artificial organ that pumps and filters (or oxygenates) it, and then it
returns to the patient's circulatory system . Some Christians have permitted
this if the equipment is not primed with stored blood....What,
though, if the flow of such autologous blood stopped briefly, such as if
a heart - lung machine is shut down while the surgeon checks the integrity
of coronary - bypass grafts?...a Christian having to decide whether
to permit his blood to be diverted through some external device ought to
focus, not primarily on whether a brief interruption in flow might occur,
but on whether he conscientiously felt that the diverted blood would still
be part of his circulatory system.
Galatians 6:5. What
about induced Hemodilution?...Some Christians have accepted this, others
have refused. Again, each individual must decide whether he would consider
the blood diverted in such a Hemodilution circuit to be similar to that
flowing through a heart/lung machine, or he would think of it as blood
that left him and therefore should be disposed of. A final example
of autologous blood use involves recovering and reusing blood during surgery.
Equipment is used to aspirate blood from the wound, pump it out through
a filter (to remove clots or debris) or a centrifuge (to eliminate fluids),
and then direct it back into the patient. Many Christians have been very
concerned whether in such salvage there might be any brief interruption
of blood flow. Yet, as mentioned, a more Biblical concern is whether the
blood escaping into a surgical wound is still part of the person. Does
the fact that the blood has flowed from his circulatory system into the
wound mean that it should be 'poured out,' like the blood mentioned at
Leviticus 17:13? If an individual believes so, he would probably refuse
to permit such blood salvage. Yet, another Christian (who also would not
let blood flow from him, be stored for some time, and later be put back
into him) might conclude that a circuit with recovery from a surgical site
and ongoing reinfusion. would not violate his trained conscience....When
faced with a question in this area, each Christian is responsible to obtain
details from medical personnel and then make a personal decision....While
modern medicine might be able to help us extend our lives for a time, we
certainly would not want to extend our present life by doing anything that
would violate our Christian conscience or would displease our Life - Giver.
The writer/editor
of the blood brochure seems to not be aware that intraopertive collection
and induced hemodilution is now allowed.
How Can
Blood Save Your Life?, 1990, page 27 brochure
Witnesses believe
that blood removed from the body should be disposed of, so they do not
accept autotransfusion of predeposited blood. Techniques for intraoperative
collection or hemodilution that involve blood storage are objectionable
to them.
As
mentioned above, the Society does allow the use of these blood components
such as: "gamma globulin" and "Factor VIII" which is from stored
blood. The Society even acknowledges these components come
from donors.
Awake!
1/8/1954 page 24
We are told that
it takes one and a third pints of whole blood to get enough of the
blood protein or "fraction" known as gamma globulin for one injection.
Watchtower 6/15/1985
page 30
Each batch of Factor
VIII is made from plasma that is pooled from as many as 2 500 blood donors. It seems that by importing this blood product the AIDS virus was transferred
to the British supply.
The Society
threatens its members if they take a blood transfusion.
Watchtower
1/15/1961 63-4 Questions from Readers
In view of the
seriousness of taking blood into the human system by a transfusion, would
violation of the Holy Scriptures in this regard subject the dedicated,
baptized receiver of blood transfusion to being disfellowshiped from the
Christian congregation?
If, however,
he refuses to acknowledge his nonconformity to the required Christian standard
and makes the matter an issue in the Christian congregation and endeavors
to influence others therein to his support; or, if in the future he persists
in accepting blood transfusions or in donating blood toward the carrying
out of this medical practice upon others, he shows that he has really not
repented, but is deliberately opposed to God’s requirements. As a rebellious
opposer and unfaithful example to fellow members of the Christian congregation
he must be cut off there from by disfellowshiping.
The Society
allows Jehovah's Witness Doctors to give blood transfusions to "worldly
people"
Watchtower
11/15/1964 pages 682-683 Employment and Your Conscience
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. This
is similar to the situation facing a Christian butcher or grocer who must
decide whether he can conscientiously sell blood sausage to a worldly person.
Who is
blood guilty before Jehovah God? If the Society believes you should not
have blood according to the Bible, then where in the Bible does it allow
certain parts of blood? What about all of the followers of the Society
that needed a blood fraction when they where in there "not allowed mode"?
Did any of these die needlessly? Does Jehovah give "new light blinking
back and forth" to the Governing Body so they can keep adjusting
their stand on parts of blood?
The Latest Information on Blood
From the Watchtower 6-15-2000 Pages 29 - 31
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