What is the JW's views on the new synthetic blood that hospitals are testing?

Question

It is not real blood, it does not come from a person, does that make any differense? Is it still viewed the same? Would you still refuse it?

Answer 1

Artificial (synthetic) blood includes hemoglobin solutions (such as HemoPure (R) and PolyHeme (R).) They are highly purified oxygen-carrying hemoglobin solutions made from fractionated bovine (cow) blood. A medical writer for the Sacramento Bee said that Gregory Brown, a JW Hospital Liason Committee Representative approved use of one such product for JW patient Jose Orduno in September 2000.

In the 15 June 2000 Watchtower, JWs were told they could now accept 'fractions of any of the primary components' of blood - i.e. fractions from red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma (p22). If that statement had not been published by the Wt.Soc till October 2000, Mr Orduno would have died. Also, some JW answers here show unawareness on the part of JWs as to what they are free to have!

It is absurd for JWs to insist (as they do) that accepting whole red & white cells, whole platelets and plasma breaks God's law, when they accept fractions of those same blood elements! They are only 'abstaining' from whole cells but will accept fractions. Further, they can have ALL the individual components of blood in fractionated form - together - just as long as they are not held together in the 'skin' of whole blood! This is absurd!

A red blood cell is a miniature bag of hemoglobin. Broken down by dry weight, the red cell is 97% hemoglobin and 3% membrane. To permit hemoglobin yet to ban red cells is like telling someone, 'You can drink the milk out of that plastic jug, but if you take the plastic jug with the milk inside, you'll be in deep trouble.' JWs are hopelessly ignorant of how alternative medical treatments work and utterly depend on doing what the Wt.Soc tells them to do.

Answer 2

Jehovahs Witnesses refusal to take blood triggered research and new techniques into non-blood alternatives - for those that do not believe this, a simple google scholar search will result in medical research articles which will support this claim.
Here is the official stance on the matter "Should Christians accept therapies incorporating blood fractions? The Bible does not give specific details, so each one must make his own conscientious decision before God. Some would refuse all fractions, reasoning that God’s Law to Israel required that blood removed from a creature be poured “out on the ground.” (Deuteronomy 12:22-24) Others, while refusing transfusions of whole blood or its major p. 216components, might accept treatments involving a fraction. They may reason that at some point fractions that have been extracted from blood cease to represent the life of the creature from which the blood was taken."

If you have taken the time to read the quote then you will realise that this is a personal matter. It does not mean that because we "are allowed" that we will. A blood fraction is a building block of blood...our body is made up of many celss which start out with the same building blocks and then specialise into their distinct cells as we develop...at which point do we say blood becomes blood? THAT is the issue of blood fractions.

I have no problem with blood fractions and neither have I a problem with the synthetic version but I know some who would not take fractions - they are going with their conscience on the matter.

When people talk about us as if we are all drones (see other reponses) with no ability to think for ourselves they reveal that they come to their opinion based on stereotypical thinking which as most people know is the basis for prejudice and discrimination.

Answer 3

According to the textbook Modern Blood Banking and Transfusion Practices by Dr. Denise M. Harmening, “delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction” can occur “in a patient who has previously been sensitized by transfusion, pregnancy, or transplant.” In such cases, the antibodies that cause a patient to react adversely to a transfusion are “not detectable by standard pretransfusion methods.” According to Dailey’s Notes on Blood, hemolysis “can be triggered even when only a small amount of incompatible . . . blood is administered. When renal shutdown does occur the patient is slowly poisoned because the kidneys cannot remove impurities from the blood.” The Journal of Clinical Oncology, August 1988, reported: “Patients receiving perioperative blood transfusions have a significantly worse prognosis than patients undergoing cancer surgery without a perioperative transfusion.” For more information on the Bible’s teachings regarding blood, see the brochure How Can Blood Save Your Life? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Answer 4

Interesting answers from Trinitarians.

Jehovah's Witnesses obey God. It is that simple. Back in the Old Testament God ordered his people to abstain from touching the Ark of the Covenants. It was a symbol to his people as is the blood in our veins is the gift of life he gave humanity.

When the Ark of the Covenant was captured and its gold melted down it no longer carried that symbol. Yet the same Trinitarians who complain about blood are the same ones that have gold all over their bodies.

Interesting indeed...

Answer 5

Real blood from a human is the "life force" and when we die that blood goes back to its maker, God. The life force belongs to God.

Since the blood is synthetic, this would be acceptable because it is not not blood draw from a human being, but something that is like a blood filler or synthetic as you state.

There are many reasons why God warns us to stay away from blood; some are quite obviously, it is not clean and therefore could cause humans to lose their lives, not save them. The synthetic blood solution will be very effective not just for Jehovah's Witnesses but to everyone who is in need of a blood transfusion.

I was watching the news this morning and the segment consisted of transplant recipients who contracted HIV due to tainted blood in which the organs were obviously infected. There is a reason not to "take in blood". It is not safe, nor clean for the most part and human error is abundant, but for the most part, that life force belongs to God.

SINCE early last year (2005-06), a new liquid began flowing through the veins and arteries of certain blood-starved hospital patients. This amazing oxygen-carrying fluid was used, first in Japan, and then in the United States, for emergency situations where, for medical or religious reasons, patients could not receive human blood transfusions. Many of these cases had rare blood types, for which there was no blood immediately available. But a number of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who do not accept transfusions because of the Biblical command to “abstain from . . . blood,” also received this “synthetic blood.” (Acts 15:20, 29)

The Bible record shows that early in mankind’s history the Creator and Life-Giver expressed himself on the issue of blood. Right after the global flood, when God first granted humans the right to eat animal flesh, he commanded Noah and his family: “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. Only flesh with its soul—its blood—you must not eat.” (Genesis 9:3, 4)

“‘YOU must eat nothing along with blood.

“‘YOU must not look for omens, and YOU must not practice magic". (Leviticus 19:26)

Answer 6

witnesses need to realise that they are into a counterfiet Bible and a counterfeit Christianity, instead of waiting for the medical comunity to make allowences for their false edict.

No one should be in the position to keep any one else from life. To me it is the same as murder, I suspect, that it is the same to God as well.

If I had needed a Blood transfusion, as a child, I would not be here today. Some might think that is a good thing, but that is for another post.

Millions of Christians read the Bible every day, and they do not see an edict on blood transfusions in it. the Witnesses allow a Group of Men, with an agenda to decide for them what the Bible says. The Governing body, use to require witnesses to give their lives, instead of having vaccinations.....
They were wrong on that one......changed it......they use to also require that you die instead of having an organ transplant......called it...cannibalism.....they were also wrong on that one....changed it......

Not so long ago...they required JW's to die, and receive no parts of blood be transfused.....they were wrong...they have changed it......I, would take my chances if I were a Witness(thankfully, I am no longer one)and have a blood transfusion, because in2 countries, they have already made it a matter of conscience....and will do so in the near future in all countries.....I have watched them for years.....studied them for decades. and I have seen how they are tossed to and for as with the wind.

Answer 7

I'd say it's acceptable. Since it is synthetic blood, there was no "life" attached to it. It would be just another alternative to a real blood transfusion, like saline solution or other blood expanders.

Answer 8

Do they ever take a stand on anything that they do not change? Why all the change if this information is supposed to come from God in the first place?

Answer 9

No we wouldnt refuse it. If you do your research you will find out we have been using synthetic blood for years. We pioneered so many alternatives.

Answer 10

My understanding of Jehovah Witt's is ,as long as there are NO actual blood components involved it would be ok.