![]() Recent Watchtower Controversies Concerning Blood Transfusions While many Jehovah's Witnesses have died due to refusing blood transfusions, recent developments in the Watchtower Society's policy on blood indicate that individuals who face a similar crisis today may not need to sacrifice their lives to prove their loyalty to the Society. After Blizard accepted a court order requiring that his daughter receive a transfusion, an elder said, "I hope your daughter gets hepatitus (sic) from that blood." Blizard, his wife, and even their daughter were then shunned by their congregation for not smuggling the girl out from the hospital to avoid the transfusion. In a particularly horrifying example of how seriously Jehovah's Witnesses take the Society's prohibition, Paul Blizard, a former elder, tells of his experience when his daughter needed a transfusion. Unfortunately, however, the reality of the situation is often far grimmer. These stories, similar in tone and rhetoric to the child-martyr stories of the Victorian era, depict children who inspired respect and acceptance for the Society as they happily sacrificed their lives to uphold the Watchtower's regulations. The May 22, 1994, issue of Awake! featured the stories of five children who died after refusing blood transfusions. They contend that receiving blood intravenously constitutes eating, just as people can receive food intravenously.Ī large number of Jehovah's Witnesses, including many children, have died due to their loyalty to the Watchtower Society. The Watchtower Society forbids blood transfusions because the procedure allegedly constitutes eating blood, which is forbidden in the Bible in Genesis 9:4 and Acts 15:28-29. This document is valid even if I am unconscious, and it is binding upon my heirs or legal representatives. I hereby release the doctors and hospital of any damages attributed to my refusal. This is in accord with my rights as a patient and my beliefs as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I direct that no blood transfusions be administered to me, even though others deem such necessary to preserve my life or health. In order to prevent their being administered blood transfusions while unconscious, each Witness is required to carry a card that states: The issue is so serious, in fact, that Witnesses believe a blood transfusion "may result in the immediate and very temporary prolongation of life, but at the cost of eternal life for a dedicated Christian." Witness parents are expected not only to prevent their children from undergoing a blood transfusion, but even to prevent family pets from receiving blood. ![]() The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has long forbidden blood transfusions for Jehovah's Witnesses. Note: This article was published in 2000 some details - including links to news articles - may have changed since publication. New Watchtower Blood Transfusion Policy.
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