The Facts About the Jehovahs Witness Doctrine on Blood

Jehovah's Witnesses are commonly known to have a strict anti-blood stance in regards to the consumption of blood. Their views are derived from scriptures such as; Genesis 9:3, Leviticus 17:10, and Acts 15:29. While their exact doctrines have changed variously over the years, their current stance is that:

1. Blood is sacred to Jehovah as it represents the life-force.
2. Blood must not be eaten or transfused, even in an emergency to save a life.
3. Blood must be poured out on the ground, rather than used for some other (eg medical) purpose.
4. Exceptions allow for the use of blood in tests, use of the patients own blood when the blood is extracted during the current therapy (but not the storage of blood for future use), the transfusion of certain blood fractions (blood broken up then transfused) and various other procedures such as blood salvage.
5. Witnesses who break with blood doctrine face expulsion from the church.

There are logical and ethical problems with the blood doctrine.

The exceptions to the doctrine contradict the primary doctrine that blood cannot be used or consumed. Jehovah's Witnesses claim that blood broken into its components is no longer blood and so is excepted from the primary doctrine. A short analogy will show why this is false. Hypothetically imagine that god commands you to abstain from sea water. Would it be obeying his command to process sea water through a condenser and then consume the water and salts separately? Obviously this is disobeying his command.

While it is perfectly acceptable for consenting adults to deny themselves life saving medical treatment, it becomes an ethical problem when these rules are extended to minors, often resulting in their deaths. When asked "Would you deliberately allow your child to die if blood would save it?" Jehovah's Witnesses answer "I would demand that medical science do everything possible to save my child's life short of giving it blood." The May 22, 1994 issue of Awake, p. 2: "In former times thousands of youths died for putting God first. They are still doing it, only today the drama is played out in hospitals and courtrooms, with blood transfusions the issue." The Watchtower also makes available an "Identity Card" for children to carry which states their refusal of blood treatments. Often in cases where a child must refuse treatment as well as the parents the child is pre-programmed with certain responses and scriptures with which to answer people appointed to determine whether the child understands to what they are agreeing.

These practices are harmful, lethal to children who do not have the proper mental facility's to agree to sacrifice their lives for beliefs. This aspect of the Jehovah's Witness religion must be condemned. Laws should be reviewed to make sure they are adequate to protect children in these cases. Individuals who prevent their children from obtaining blood transfusions, resulting in their deaths, should be charged with murder.

On a lighter note did you know that in 1982, a Watchtower article declared that it would be wrong for a Witness to allow a leech to feed on his/her blood as part of a medical procedure?.

If you see any, genuine, errors in this information then please leave a comment, with evidence as to what (and why) I have gotten wrong.

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