Why are Jehovah's Witnesses still allowed to let their children die?

Question

There is no doubt that their religious beliefs are absurd with contradictions like the organ transplant policy. People have died in vein because of their ‘changing ‘policies’ so why does the legal system let them deny their children blood if they need it? The child is a minor and unable to decide for themselves. What if it was in my religion to deny my child proper amounts/kinds of food? What if he/she began to come to school unhealthy and ghastly skinny from malnutrition, wouldn't child services be called and the child taken away from his/her parents?

Some of them will say, 'the blood can contain disease, they have blood substitutes. Okay, so they say, well, "They can die now and not take the blood because they have a 2% chance of contracting a deadly disease from the blood." Blood substitutes/fractions will not provide the necessities!!!

How do Jehovah's Witnesses avoid having their children being taken away from them and out of their jurisdiction when they deny them blood transfusions? Why should the child die just because their parents are too blind and ignorant to realize there beliefs are bull crap?

Canda has it right:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1426576.ece

Let me guess Dr. Ferrer, you got those statistics and information from the Watchtower or Awake didn't you? Provide me with creditable non-bias sources and I will believe you.

Steven P, that is the most terrible example I've ever heard for anything, grow a brain then answer next time okay? Secondly, since when did a baby go off to war?

Oh yeah, for all of you that preach about how dangerous blood transfusions are, you can also receive diseases from organs and the blood 'fractions' JW's are allowed to receive.

Don't forget, you don't accept blood because the Governing Body tells you you can't, not because you think it is dangerous.

HIV Government Statistics on HIV/AIDs contraction causes in 2005:

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm#hivaidsexposure

Answer 1

Go Canada!

Honestly I do not understand those people.... I can't begin to comment on how absolutely insane they can be.

I don't know why they even bother sending their kids to school at all in the first place, if they're not allowed to do jack squat when they get there.

This stuff should be on the priorities of child services. Looking out for the children of these crazies. Child abuse is child abuse, and why some of these people can't get it thru their thick skulls is beyond me.

Answer 2

No parent JW or otherwise wants their child to die! But they should be allowed to choose what kind of medical care their children receive. There are churches that dont allow ANY kind of medical treatment. Should their children be taken away? Or is it just the JW's you have issues with?

If you want your child to have a blood transfusion-go for it, but I should have the right to choose what I feel is best for my child based on my beliefs. I truly believe(without the brainwashing you so often refer to) that when the bible says to abstain from blood, that it includes blood transfusions.

Did you know that the milk from a young coconut can be used as a substitute for blood? It can carry just as much oxygen and nutrients as a blood transfusion can. It doesnt carry diseases and people dont have reactions to it. Why is that not used today? Because it is not a money maker. Blood transfusions are a multi-Billion dollar a year business. Goes to show that in the end is not about the people...its about the money!

Answer 3

You should know that Jehovah's Witnesses have a deep love for their children. They naturally do everything not only to keep them alive but to give them the best scriptural teachings. HOWEVER, if there is a commandment, which of course we all know there is, that tells us YOU MUST NOT EAT BLOOD, that is a commandment we must follow to be a CHRISTIAN worshipper of Jehovah God. If a person, such as some of the ones answering, feel they can bend the scriptures to suit their preferred method of serving Jehovah, so be it. Those making their bed, must lie in it. In addition, many children and others have died by taking a blood transfusion. Not what we are concentrating on though; for we do not go by our selfish inclinations but what Jehovah has outlined in His Holy Word.

Answer 4

Well one reason for the government allowing Witness parents to decide to turn down Blood Transfusions is probably for the same reason the government allows Non Witness Parents to deny them, there are often times other options, and more and more BTs are being seen as a bad idea. The hospitals in my area now require written permission BEFORE agreeing to give Blood Transfusions.

At times the authorities do decide to override the parents decisions.

I always start laugh when I think of how people in this time of information being readily available fall back on BTs as being THE solution. Reminds me of how centuries ago leeches were THE thing. And then there was Treppaning

Answer 5

Such venom. You must really fear they are tight.

Why target JWs, 90% of those who refuse blood are not witnesses.

UCLA now performs bloodless transplants. Google “Bloodless Surgery” and you will find 150 hospitals now offer bloodless options to all their patients.

There is so much in the Bible that they could not have understood the science behind why something should or should not be done. In our modern times, we are learning just how the science fits. A good example was when God instructed his people to no longer allow marriages between close relatives. They didn’t understand what genetics was, or why for 2000 years it was okay, and than it wasn’t. Now, we know why.

There is no safe blood transfusion, even if there is no infectious agent present in it. Every transfusion lowers the body's immunal response in the exact same manner as AIDS does. There may or may not be any connection, but the fact is it leaves you open to very RARE, not regular diseases, just like AIDS. It still requires coming into contact with the disease for it to become a problem.

That aside, there is the growing problems with contamination of the blood supply.

I'm a taxi cab driver in Kansas City. Ask most any cab driver or taxi passenger in the area who Papa Bear is and they will tell you.

Spring 0f 2005, there was a conference here of reps of Blood Services, from all over the world. They were here to learn a new labeling system. Up until this year, there was no uniform labeling system for blood, causing mismatches and other problems.

I had some passengers from London and I asked them about an article I read that England was importing thousands of pinks of blood a year from the U.S. because of contamination of their local supply by Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Mad Cow). They said they were, but the practice has been discontinued, as the U.S. supply was no longer considered safe within the parameters they set, in other words, what is an allowable percentage of contamination.

They now get it from Australia. Apparently, Canadian is also not considered safe. She said we are fooling ourselves if we think our supply was anywhere near being safe. There are no tests for Mad Cow that can be done on blood. It can only be confirmed after death. There has also been an increasing rate of viral zoonotic (Rabies).

The sale of blood and blood products is big money, to where there is a growing problem with over bleeding of those who donate or sell their blood. When you over bleed, the immune system gets activated, causing a production of chemicals to create clots. That can be a problem for those receiving the blood, to suddenly get a blockage in a vein.

It should also be noted that strict Judaism also believes the blood is the soul, which is why when there is terrorist bombing, they clean up every last bit of blood to be buried, even chipping up the roads.

The fact is that what the Jws have done for over 50 years has made the care of patients safer. It is why you must give permission to have your child treated. There is also one benefit of their work for those who do take transfusions. It had driven down the cost of blood as corporations compete to get hospitals to buy from them.

So, if people want to hide their heads and think their safe, go right ahead, but I'll stay with the 90% of non-JWs who are also refusing blood.


Quality Alternatives to Transfusion
http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/index.htm?article=article_03.htm

Answer 6

I'm afraid you have only studied one side of the question. The Worldly Popular view. Do you have respect for our Creator. He provided a Manual much like an Auto Company provides a Manuel for keeping the New Car running well and long. When problems arise with your auto do you go to the local bar for Expert opinions or Consult the manufacturers Manual?
The Manuel says "Do not put your trust in Nobles nor in the sons of Earthling man but in every utterance of our Creator Psalms 146:3-8. (Yhwh, Exodus 6:3, Psalms 83:18) who is opening the eyes of the (spiritually) blind .
Blood: Lev 17:-13. Acts15:29. We tend to think we know more than our Creator. Its Human nature. Our1st ancestors thought so too and brought Judgment upon all their Offspring.
The first 40 years of my life I thought like you and thought I had the answers but now at age 70 I respect that only our creator ;has the answers for a good and long life as I am still, learning to respect Godly Council.
2nd Timothy 3:16 :" All Scripture is inspired of (our Creator) God and beneficial for Teaching for Reproving and for setting matters Straight. Every thing else is just independent mans Opinion. Independence from our creator started all the problems that we still see today. Please Don't perpetuate an independent (from God) Spirit. Most people (kids) who want to be different are really just copying their peers. wouldn't yu agree?

Thanks for listening
Mac

Answer 7

First off Jehovah's winesses don't let there children die. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!! Many cases of HIV, AIDS, Hepatitus and other sicknesses have been reported being caught from a blood transfusion. but it's 2007, and the only time you NEEDED a blood transfusion was 40 years ago when medical science had not reached the advances we now have today! there are at least 10 different methods of saving a person's life that I now of that do not require a blood transfusion. In fact, in today's day and age, doctor's are now recomending people to go under operations lid hip displacement, and fractured knees, whitnout blood transfusions. Don't believe me? go Visit Englewood Hospital at Englewood, NJ to go verify the defiance to what once was neede, but is now a thing of the past.

p.s. do you still use a beeper to?

Answer 8

Hmm, we allow our children to die. Funny I thought we were taking our daughter to the hospital to solve a problem medically. Her appendix was about to burst Do you know the problems that can cause?

Talking with the surgeon before her operation we raised the question about blood and our stance concerning transfusions.

Would you cars to know his reply? It just might shock you. He said........










Blood is for SLOPPY surgeons, good ones don't need it.

"The child is a minor and unable to decide for themselves."

That's right the child is a minor and parents are held responsible for what happens to the child and for what that child does. As a result parents have to decide what they feel is in the best interest of the child. That's why we take our children to the doctor's. That's why we allow them to undergo painful operations in the interest of seeing they get healthy.

Why should the state decide what is in YOUR child's best interest?

What if someone decided they didn't like the way you did something with your child? Do you want Children's Services to come and take YOUR child.

"There is no doubt that their religious beliefs are absurd"

You are entitled to your opinions, you can freely expose them. That doesn't make them correct.
If you want to view what the Bible teaches as "absurd', hey that's your choice.

Answer 9

in a free country u have the right to be wrong, without state intervention. child protection services can only remove children under their shared jurisdiction with children with social security numbers. they have no jurisdiction with foreign or non participating people. what if the state took your child away from u cause u believed in abstinence before marriage and the state wanted condoms in every child's hand, regardless of what your spiritual beliefs are.should they have the authority to usurp your beliefs on how this child is to be raised. I'm not a jw but I'm a born again, we have the freedom to do what we think is right within reason...I'm not sure what the jw's believe but I'm not gonna tell them how to raise their children but if i see blatant abuse the last people I'm gonna call is the child protection services ..ill do something myself to intervene. don't know if you thought about it or not but social services is no cup of tea either. we just had 2 state care givers kill a special needs child by strangulation due to over restraint . it is just a stinking 9 to 5 job for some of those social workers.i would call on myself or god to intervene before i would call on the state

Answer 10

It's their children, not your children. How would you feel if someone disagreed with your decisions in raising your children and took them away from you?

Blood transfusions have been shown to be dangerous, especially in an immature immune system such as children have. There are bloodless options in treating every situation.

Your question is vicious slander and only represents your ignorance.

Edit: Of course, we refuse them because we were commanded by Jehovah God (not the Governing Body) to abstain from blood. But they ARE dangerous. Why will you allow your child to die unnecessarily from contaminated blood?

Answer 11

Ironically, the medical fact remains undisputed that many MULTIPLES more have died as a direct result of a blood transfusion than have died from a conscientious decision to pursue other medical treatments.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not "allow their children to die", but instead they work to pursue the best medical care available (please read the last paragraph).

Fair-minded healthcare experts admit that the medical technologies exist to treat literally every illness and injury without resorting to the old-fashioned infusion of whole blood, plasma, platelets, or red/white blood cells. Perhaps pro-blood activists (and/or anti-Witness critics) ignore the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses accept all minor blood fractions, so if there is some targeted need then a Witness will accept a targeted treatment (the only objections are to those four components which approximate actual blood).


It is not Jehovah's Witnesses who decide that blood is sacred; it is Almighty God who declares it so, as the Divine Author of the Holy Bible!

Jehovah's Witnesses are not anti-medicine or anti-technology, and they do not have superstitious ideas about some immortal "soul" literally encapsulated in blood. Instead, as Christians, the Witnesses seek to obey the very plain language of the bible regarding blood.

Jesus Christ, as God's spokesman and as Head of the Christian congregation, made certain that the early congregation reiterated, recorded, and communicated renewed Christian restrictions against the misuse of blood (it would hardly have been necessary to remind Christians to abstain from murderous bloodguilt).

It would seem that all conscientious Christians would feel bound by the bible's words in "the Apostolic Decree". Ironically, this decree was the first official decision communicated to the various congregations by the twelve faithful apostles (and a handful of other "older men" which the apostles had chosen to add to the first century Christian governing body in Jerusalem). God and Christ apparently felt (and feel) that respect for blood is quite important.

Here is what the "Apostolic Decree" said, which few self-described Christians obey or even respect:

(Acts 15:20) Write them [the various Christian congregations] to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled [the meat of which would contain blood] and from blood.

(Acts 15:28-29) For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you, except these necessary things, 29 to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled [the meat of which would contain blood] and from fornication. If you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.


Quite explicitly, the Apostolic Decree plainly forbids the misuse of blood by Christians (despite the fact that nearly every other provision of former Jewish Mosaic Law was recognized as unnecessary). It seems odd therefore, that literally one Christian religion continues to teach that humans must not use blood for any purpose other than honoring Almighty God.

A better question would ask: How can other self-described Christian religions justify the fact that they don't even care if their adherents drink blood and eat blood products?


Jehovah's Witnesses recognize the repeated bible teaching that blood is specially "owned" by God, and must not be used for any human purpose. Witnesses do not have any superstitious aversion to testing or respectfully handling blood, and Witnesses believe these Scriptures apply to blood and the four primary components which approximate "blood". An individual Jehovah's Witness is likely to accept a targeted treatment for a targeted need, including a treatment which includes a minor fraction derived from plasma, platelets, and/or red/white blood cells.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/hb/
http://watchtower.org/library/vcnb/article_01.htm