Faith vs life?

Question

Hello this is James from the BBC World Service interactive discussion show "World Have Your Say".

Today: A young mother has died just hours after giving birth to twins -- after she refused a blood transfusion. She was a Jehovah's Witness. For her, accepting a transfusion would have been a sin.

Emma Gough from Telford in the UK was just 22, and gave birth to a boy and a girl. She leaves a husband and her two twins.

Jehovah Witness spokespeople say individuals make their own decisions about what treatments they're prepared to have in hospital and that all individuals have the right to refuse treatment.

This of course raises huge ethical dilemmas for doctors. Does it go against their Hippocratic oath?

Ultimately - in sitautions like this - it's a choice of faith vs life.

What are you thoughts on this story? We'd be interested to hear your views - call us [phone] (we'll call you back) or email [e-mail] - we're on air from 1800-1900GMT.

Answer 1

It's too bad that these people have been so trapped in religious superstition that it cost them their lives. Ultimately, a person's choice to get medical help is their own, but it is sad that so many have been duped by religious nonsense.

This is yet another way that religion harms society.

Answer 2

If you had of read the whole news article it said that a blood transfusion would not have saved her life anyway.

This means that the whole issue is mute.

Of course that wont stop the ones sensationalizing the whole thing and trying to hang the blame on the Jehovah Witnesses.

The fact is (and ALL people that have an operation must face) that sometimes things go wrong , and when they go wrong , there is often nothing that can be done.

Additionally it must also be recognized that Jehovah's Witnesses have fought hard for the medical rights and freedom that YOU yourself enjoy today.

Answer 3

Sister, existence is complicated and different circumstances human beings do what they could do with the techniques skill they have. I additionally left the church for comparable motives, hypocrites. I grew to become an Atheist, yet sooner or later, i grew to become into in a sweat inn, thoroughly darkish, and those small lighting fixtures that appeared very such as fireside flies got here interior the inn (we don't have them interior the barren area). As a scientist as quickly as I mentioned the lighting fixtures, no beams, merely around floating lighting fixtures, I understood there is greater to existence then what we are in a position to describe. So I holiday the "pink street", and that i nevertheless fail simply by fact i'm human with character defects. yet, I additionally are conscious of this isn't any longer the words of God printed to Prophets or drugs adult males that are incorrect, that's how fallible human beings interpret them. you are able to desire to place self assurance in faith, watch the international around you and solutions would be offered, pray once you upward push up and at solar set. Pray for peace, wellness, and prosperity. have not got too lots wish, that's a seize, have self assurance. constantly understand there's a reason for all issues solid and undesirable and that we won't be able to constantly clarify them scientifically, yet look for the solid interior the undesirable. in step with hazard a door opens that grew to become into no longer open till now, merely simply by fact some meanie stepped on your course, on your pastime on your existence. i understand God exists simply by fact he confirmed me that's actual. I wish God could teach others, yet till that factor, without medical evidence, many will refuse God exists. detect a clever instructor that may assist you. be careful, there are various undesirable ones. : )

Answer 4

God made us in his image and he gave us brains to use. In these brains he gave us the ability to learn and discover. We have discovered medicine and some of the breakthroughs are miracles that God allowed and gave us. I believe it is a sin to allow a child to die of something as simple as an infection, This does not require surgery, only a simple antibiotic. That God allowed us to discover made from plants that God put on this earth, so why would He not want us to use them if He provided them for us? He allowed us the knowledge to use these things. God also states that He helps those that help themselves. God wants us to acquire knowledge, and with knowledge comes advancement in different ways. Most surgeons are Christians and pray before surgery that God guide their hands in helping a person to get well. Medicine is a gift from God as He has made these things possible. God does not want to orphan babies when they are born, they are Gods children and He wants them to be loved and cared for. I understand the concept of Jehovah's Witness, I don't understand why a religion would use only selected parts of the bible to base their entire faith on. If God didn't want us to have healing, why did he allow Jesus to heal the sick? Why does God heal the sick? God wants us to know that these things are possible. To help ourselves. What if a child that died from lack of medical care was to be an apostle? A messenger from God, would this not be a sin? It is wrong to use the bible in this manner. No where in the bible does it say not to be healed. I am a Baha'i, and we teach love and acceptance and I accept that God gave us medicine.

Answer 5

I read the article earlier, and am aware of the pressures situations like this put on doctors.

However, first and foremost, it is not a question of "Faith" vs Life, but rather of "OBEDIENCE vs DISOBEDIENCE." Even if we die, if we die obedient then we have the opportunity to live forever. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 5:9 says: "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him."

Jesus himself said, in Matthew 16:25 - "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

He also said in John 11:25 - "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

Now the key passage when it comes to our belief about the use of blood is from the New Testament book of Acts, in chapter 15:28 & 29: "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these NECESSARY things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well."

That wasn't a suggestion or a good idea, it was a command.

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20000108/article_01.htm
(BLOODLESS MEDICINE and SURGERY)

http://www.watchtower.org/e/20031208/article_01.htm
(I Accepted God's View of Blood—A PHYSICIAN TELLS HIS STORY)

http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/index.htm
(How Can Blood Save Your Life?)

http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/article_06.htm
(JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES—THE SURGICAL/ETHICAL CHALLENGE)

http://www.watchtower.org/e/hb/article_07.htm
(BLOOD: WHOSE CHOICE AND WHOSE CONSCIENCE?
by J. Lowell Dixon, M.D.)

Answer 6

Faith must go with life...and being compared...because of our faith and belief we live..but with the situation of the mother i guess they even did'nt know what is the relationship between life and faith...

Answer 7

and this is religion,faith went out of the window in their faith.lack care for a fellow human being.

Answer 8

JWs believe in the Bible as the word of God and it is for everyone's lasting benefit to follow it. We follow the Bible's command to abstain from blood as stated in Acts 15:29. Eventhough we do not accept transfusion of blood, we accept other ALTERNATIVES to blood transfusion. We believe that putting any sort of blood in our body is a serious sin that we can loose our chance of the life promised by God and Jesus.
The Israelites, who ate blood, was cut off from God's people. See Lev 17:10.

Acts 15:20 - but to write them to abstain from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.
Acts 15:29 - to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication

The question then is, when Acts 15 states “abstain from blood” is it only for eating and drinking blood? At that time, early Christians, understood that “abstaining from blood” means not eating and drinking it because blood transfusion is not being practiced. If it was being practiced at that time, the instruction in Acts 15 did not EXCLUDE "blood transfusion". The early Christians also understood that they won’t use blood for medical reasons, that’s why they didn’t use blood to cure epilepsy.

The point there is “eating and drinking blood” means the blood goes IN to your body. So what the Bible says is that we abstain from blood going IN our body. This means that you can use blood for testing, clean it, etc.

If you are allergic to nuts, the doctor will only say, “abstain from nuts”, that covers everything, that is, nothing to be taken orally and to be transfused. If you have allergies to nuts, you’ll understand. You don’t force your allergic kid to accept nuts , do you?

Have you ever wondered why in Rev 2:14, , Jesus has something AGAINST Pergamum, i.e., to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication, which reflects the original instructions in Acts 15:29?. Also, Jesus has something AGAINST some in Thyatira because Jezebel misleads Jesus’ slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols (From the original instruction in Acts 15:20, 29)? Many years have passed when the Apostle John wrote Revelation but the instruction from Acts 15:20,29 is still in effect. So you think, the instructions in Acts 15:29 are only temporary? And notice that the instructions given in Rev 2 are not only for Gentiles but to all Christians, even Jewish Christians.

The early Christians ate meat which are properly bled, but eventhough 100% of the blood wasn’t removed, they were still considered abstaining from blood.

Lev 17:10 states “‘As for any man of the house of Israel or some alien resident who is residing as an alien in YOUR midst who eats any sort of blood”

Notice ANY SORT OF BLOOD, so no faithful follower of God, eats blood of any sorts, animal or human. That’s why humans cannot drink or eat animal or human blood.

The prohibition for blood is repeated in Acts 15:28-29 but instead of just saying do not EAT blood, Acts 15 changed it to ABSTAIN FROM BLOOD, which is a general term to encompass not only eating, drinking of any sort of blood but the future use of blood in the body, which includes transfusion.

Notice too that the Bible doesn’t say abstain from nuclear bombs nor abstain from cannibalism, but the underlying principles found in the Bible can help us determine that we have to abstain from those things.

Is a subcomponent/fraction of the main components of blood, considered blood? In the case of an egg, is an egg white, egg yolk, still an egg? Is the subcomponent of an egg white, still an egg? Is oxygen, a subcomponent of water, water still? The same with blood, is one of the subcomponents of a main component still considered blood? Some will say yes, some will say no. This a personal decision we have to answer to God.


For example, a few weeks back, a news reported:

“It doesn't matter how much oxygen is being carried by red blood cells, it cannot get to the tissues that need it without nitric oxide," said Dr. Jonathan Stamler of Duke University, leader of one of the research groups.

Blood vessels relax and constrict to regulate blood flow and nitric oxide opens up blood vessels, allowing red blood cells to deliver oxygen, he explained.

"If the blood vessels cannot open, the red blood cells back up in the vessel and tissues go without oxygen. The result can be a heart attack or even death," he said.”

So without nitric oxide, blood cannot help supply back oxygen to the body. So to say that blood transfusion will save the woman’s life is not totally true.

There are some alternatives to blood, that each individual JWs can use depending upon their conscience.

So basically, if a JW lost a lot of blood, we would like to have the volume expanders and other nonblood products or practices that helps replace the lost oxygen. Please see www.noblood.org

In your given example, if the doctors have given her the alternatives, that is to replace the volume and oxygen, then the woman should probably not have died, unfortunately, some medical professionals do not want to administer the alternatives or are not familiar with it. And guess what, JWs are blamed for the death.

Other doctors though are recognizing the alternatives to blood transfusion. Please see this website.

http://www.englewoodhospital.com/medservices.cfm?pageid=40


The instruction in Acts 15:29 is not only limited for eating animal blood. Why? Do you know of any faithful follower of God who drank and ate HUMAN blood? So the abstention of blood is for both animals and humans alike. People also die,i.e. loses LIFE, because of blood transfusion (AIDS, wrong blood types, etc).