JWs: why not blood transfusions for infants?

Question

I understand your reasoning about blood transfusionseven if I don't agree with it . But if an infant can't be baptised, why can't it receive a blood transfusion? what effect would a blood transfusion have on it? It hasn't chosen to do something against God's will. Presumably if the child decides to get baptised as a Witness the baptism will make up for the transfusion. I'm interested in theological reasons, not practical ones about whether blood transfusions are good medicine.

Angel, does receiving a blood transfusion endanger the eventual salvation of the baby? If someone has a blood transfusion can they be forgiven for it, or does it cause a permanent problem? i understand that Witness parents find this difficult, and I am not asking a rhetorical question. I want to know if having a blood transfusion as an infant has consequences on the infant that will endanger his or her salvation later.

Livin In - would a blood transfusion have a spiritual effect on the baby?

Answer 1

I think I understand where you are coming from. Consider when a Baby is born it is the job of the parents to try to raise that child the way they think is best. Since we as Christians feel it is wrong to use BTs we would certainly not want to force them on the child. When the Child reaches the age where he/she can say I do/don't want to do/be something, and shows that they are able to reason on their own, that is a different story. Till then it is the gaurdians job to do just that, Gaurd the child. From a medical standpoint, it is becoming more and more clear that there are MANY medical problems with using BTs.

True, if it is not the childs doing, God would in no way hold that child responsible. However isn't making a decision using that reasoning like saying, a man can have sex at his Bachelor party because he is not yes married?

Answer 2

An infant is not capable of grasping an idea about blood or making a decision to get a blood transfusion or not. Therefore, the parents are in charge and they've got to make a decision. Since Witnesses abstain COMPLETELY from blood, according to Acts 15:28,29 .. they choose not to get a blood transfusion.

Recently, there has been great advances in medicine and it has been proven that bloodless surgeries are far more beneficial than using blood.

When witnesses choose to not let their infants get a blood transfusion, they are heart broken, please don't think that they're not touched at all. Of course they're going to be devestated, but pleasing Jehovah is above all. Also, they have the hope of the resurrection where they will be reunited with their infant :)

Answer 3

I know when my little niece was first born she required a blood transfusion because she was a blue baby as they called it. Of course my sister and her husband okayed the transfusion but when my Jehovah's Witness mother came to see the baby and saw where they had injected the needle to give blood and asked what had happened, my sister told her the truth, well my mother about went ballistic on my sister( my sister was catholic) My sister had to straighten her out. Another reason why my sister and my mother do not get along. But anyway my mother and her kooky Jehovah's Witness friends seem to believe that if you get a transfusion that the persons soul will be transfused to you via the blood. I do not beleive this but some people will believe anything mainly because they do not think things through and do some research on topics that they hear or read about.

Answer 4

Well, may I say you are a better person than me, I do not understand it nor do I agree with it. Why are these pro-life activists not all over this. A woman goes to get an abortion they are right there, but if a mother turns down a life saving procedure they are nowhere in sight. Religion or not I would want to give MY baby a chance.

I have been reading other answers and I must comment.

Parents may be heart broken, but obviously not enough to let their child have a chance at life. I put my children before all, as most parents do, there is no one, no thing, or no higher power that would stop me from doing what is in the best interest of my child! That is what parents do, they put their children 1st!

Answer 5

No nothing man about medicine drive him crazy and talking a bout blood transfussion which he could not understand.

Baptism is the driving away of evil spirit which entered in the body of a human being and driving away his sins or washing of his sins. A child or infant is not supposed to be baptized because he is still ignorant about sins., and do not know yet what is right or wrong.
What is the relation between baptism and blood transfusion to an infant?
Crazy mind, I think. sorry for this word.
jtm

Answer 6

If a JW (as you call them) believes it is against God to allow a blood transfusion, why on earth would they allow their child to have one.

It's like you can't have a license until you're 16 but if an infant gets hit by a car that's OK because he didn't have a license.

Organized religion is a disease. Most people use religion when it's convenient, like the post before mine. At least JWs are committed to what they believe.

What are you asking? Did you even think about your question before you posted it?
.

Answer 7

who said that infants can't have blood transfusions? god gave everyone of us protential to do things and even doctors

Answer 8

I am not a J.W. but i agree that there should not be transferee of blood. Plasma is better .

Answer 9

You reasoning is flawed.

Blood is not medicine. Regardless what is said in the media or by doctors, the drive to have bloodless surgery has been answered and not just because of what Jehovah's Witness have done. Many doctors also recognize the danger of blood, but because it is big money....that people actually donate in many situations...I know I did at one time........it is free money as well.

Blood is viewed as Sacred by God and always has been.
Ever since the Almighty knew in his great forethought that the diet of those surviving on the Ark had to change blood was singled out.

From the very beginning at Genesis 9:1 after leaving the Ark Noah and his family were given very detail instruction regarding blood:

"And God went on to bless Noah and his sons and to say to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill the earth. 2 And a fear of YOU and a terror of YOU will continue upon every living creature of the earth and upon every flying creature of the heavens, upon everything that goes moving on the ground, and upon all the fishes of the sea. Into YOUR hand they are now given. 3 Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for YOU. As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to YOU. 4 Only flesh with its soul—its blood—YOU must not eat. 5 And, besides that, YOUR blood of YOUR souls shall I ask back. From the hand of every living creature shall I ask it back; and from the hand of man, from the hand of each one who is his brother, shall I ask back the soul of man"
-Genesis 9:1-5

When my father was in the hospital after having a stoke during surgery they doctors wanted to put an "ng" tube in his stomach in order for him to eat. He did not have a Heathcare Power of Attorney, he did not give anyone direction regarding this situation whatsoever, so as his soul surviving son and sole heir the decision fell upon me. Because of my Bible trained conscience I not only wanted him to have the feeding tube, but I wanted them to make sure they could do it as soon as possible, without blood. Now, this surgery to install an NG tube was not invasive at all. It is done all the time from what I understand, however, I made sure that they understood that since this fell on me, that the would not be able to use blood in his surgery. They could use volume expanders (which there were plenty in 1995 and probably more now), just not blood.

Like my father, an infant cannot make its own choices and adults are there to intercede as I was there to intercede for my father. Reasoning as you do regarding "baptism will make up for the transfusion" you have already lost the purpose of blood being sacred.

God knew, and for that matter Jesus knew in his prehuman existence (Proverbs 8:22-31) that blood had to be poured out for forgiveness of sins. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that bought back the opportunity for everlasting life that Adam lost, selling the entire human family into sin and death.

All the laws in the Mosaic law regarding blood and for that matter, before the inception of the Mosaic Law (Genesis 9:1-5) foreshadowed the perfect sacrifice of Jesus and him pouring out his life-giving blood.

Theological reasons or practical reasons are both worth consideration here as they are both relevant.

Here is a sum up from a Watchtower from 1945 with some interesting information:

The Watchtower of July 1, 1945, clarified the Christian position on blood. Among other things, it pointed out that, though blood transfusion dates back to the ancient Egyptians, the earliest reported case was a futile attempt to save the life of Pope Innocent VIII in 1492, an operation that cost the lives of three youths. More significantly, this issue of The Watchtower showed that God’s law on blood as given to Noah is binding upon all mankind and that Christians are required to abstain from blood. (Acts 15:28, 29) Summarizing, The Watchtower said:

“Seeing, 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 his descendants; and seeing 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 conform themselves to God’s righteous rulings concerning this vital matter.”

What Saul was told by Samuel still stands today regarding the Word of God:

In turn Samuel said: “Does Jehovah have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Look! To obey is better than a sacrifice, to pay attention than the fat of rams; 23 for rebelliousness is the same as the sin of divination, and pushing ahead presumptuously the same as [using] uncanny power and teraphim. Since you have rejected the word of Jehovah, he accordingly rejects you from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23