There are several churches today that object to medical treatment. At one point in time with nearly seventeen million active members, Jehovah’s Witness was the largest of these groups. Although, historically Jehovah Witnesses objected to a wide range of medical practices, today their only objection is to blood transfusions. The theology of the church that opposes blood transfusions is based on Bible verses that are found in Genesis 9:3–6, Leviticus 17:10, 11, and Acts 15:22–29 and 21:25, which require abstinence ‘‘from blood’’ and prohibit eating ‘‘meat that has its lifeblood still in it.’’ For the Jehovah Witness to accept a blood transfusion, according to the church’s teachings, constitutes eating blood and tramples on the sacrifice of Christ.
The ban on blood transfusions in the Jehovah Witness church was placed in 1945. In 1951, the first of the many, legal cases was filed in the US court. A young Jehovah’s Witness was diagnosis with erythroblastosis fetalis, the child’s parents refused to authorize a blood transfusion. Their reasoning was their beliefs that God’s law prohibited blood. Initially a probationary service was granted custody
…show more content…
In 1952, the matter was clarified further. Justifying compulsory blood transfusion based on four points—(1) minimal danger, (2) treatment efficacy, (3) lack of alternative treatments, and (4) based on religious beliefs—adults cannot choose to be responsible for the death of their children and, declaring no interest in Biblical interpretation, the court stated clearly that, if parental religious beliefs placed a child’s life in danger then the state could intervene to protect the child (Woolley, 2005, p.
Werth vs. Taylor is a very interesting and complicated case because we see it every day in the hospital, Jehovah’s Witness refusing blood transfusions. In this particular case I was not expecting this outcome, I would expected Cindy’s death. I am not a Jehovah’s Witness, I don’t think that it is a sin to received blood transfusions but it was a refusal consent for blood transfusions that we have to respect.
Although the defendant said that the victim could not refuse the transfusion and the chain of causation could be broken, as her act was unreasonable, the court held that Blaue was still responsible given that the victim was entitled to have certain religious beliefs.
“I feel that the recent ruling of the United States Army and Navy regarding the refusal of colored blood donors is an indefensible one from any point of view. As you know, there is no scientific basis for the separation of the bloods of different races except on the basis of the individual blood types or groups.” This famous quote is from Charles Drew, an African American surgeon, teacher, and doctor. Charles was a surgeon and was a big part of transfusion in WW1.
For many people Christianity is the religion of choice and a way of life. Jehovah?s Witnesses are one subgroup of the Christian faith. The JW religion was founded in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell. They comprise 1.2 million of the U.S. population (Campbell, Y., Machan M., & Fisher, M., 2016). They present a unique challenge to the medical community because of their stance on blood transfusions. Part I will provide a
Knock, knock. Who’s there? It’s a Jehovah’s Witness! Have you ever had a Jehovah’s Witness knock on your door? Jesus told His people to “go and make disciples of people of all the nations” in Matthew, and since they didn’t have phones or social media to spread the Word of God, the only way to do it was to go from house to house. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that door-to-door ministry is the best way to reach people. The members of this religion would sit outside for hours upon hours just to convert a couple people to being a Jehovah’s Witness. “...We made return visits to householders who had formerly shown interest in our message, even the least bit…” says a Jehovah’s Witness Pioneer. While having some similar beliefs as Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses have several differences, too.
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in blood transfusions as blood is sacred to Jehovah as it represents life force. Blood must not be eaten or transfused even in an emergency, blood must be poured on to the ground rather than be used for a medical reason.
Allowing someone to die: Some religious affiliations (Jehovah’s witness) will not receive a blood transfusion. They have decided not to take advantage of medical technology to preserve life. If such person is in a life & death situation and required a blood transfusion in order to survive the choose to die vs. receiving a blood transfusion.
A lot of people are unfamiliar with Jehovah’s Witnesses (J.W.) population and their religious believes. As stated in the Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, J.W., Christian sect, founded in 1872 in Pittsburgh, Pa., by the American clergyman Charles Taze Russell, with congregations throughout the world. The legal governing body of J. W. is the Watch Tower Bible (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2014). After researching the values and beliefs of J.W. and comparing them to Christianity, Professor Watson found quite a few differences (Walston, R., 2004). One of the major differentiating characteristics of J. W. is their refusal to accept blood transfusions because it is considered to be a sin. Members of this sect refuse blood mainly based on the Book of Acts that says to abstain from blood. They see blood as
Jehovah Witnesses do not consider themselves to be a part of this world and therefore are apolitical. “Their lawmakers, judges, and superior authorities are Jehovah and Christ, and the bible is their constitution” (Botting H.H. & Botting G.A. 2012 p. 5). Biologically, the witness belongs to the organization. The organization considers Jehovah’s body to be incorruptible, so the health of a witness is centered around loyalty to Jehovah. The decision to be a member of the Jehovah Witness religion is a voluntary choice, however a person can be disfellowshipped from what is viewed by the organization as ungodly
In 1997-FEB, the American Medical Association estimated that this belief has "led thousands to die needlessly." 1 The WTS periodical Awake once showed pictures of Jehovah's Witnesses children who followed the churches ban on blood transfusions and died. 2 It is, of course, unknown how many would still have died if they had a transfusion. One particularly sad case occurred in the UK when a woman bled to death after giving birth to her second child. 17
A number of psychological theories have been used to explore the factors associated with the behaviors of healthcare practitioners, the theory of planned behavior, social cognitive theory, psychological egoism, and etc., These theoretical domains offer a comprehensive list of potentially relevant constructs for the behavior of transfusing (Haack, 2012). They include factors such as local protocols, management policies, resources, and etc,. Blood transfusion is an essential part of healthcare and can improve patient outcomes, however, like most therapies, it is also associated with significant clinical risks. According to scholarly article, “The Ethics of Consent: Theory and Practice,” written by Franking Miller and Alan Wertheimer, it states
Mendez, the sixty-two-year-old Mexican patient. Nurses usually report that expressive patients often come from Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean background. Mrs. Mendez was expressing her pain after waking from sedation and was immediately was given morphine for the pain. The morphine did nothing to ease the pain, so doctors checked her vital signs and considered her stable. After being stereotyped, doctors discovered complication from the surgery that was treated but may have been disastrous if not treated. It is highly critical that healthcare provider never assumes or judge a patient, let alone stereotype them. Jehovah's Witness prohibition about accepting blood transfusion is an excellent example of religious conflicts when providing culturally sensitive care to patients. For Jehovah's Witness choosing to have a blood transfusion can be interpreted as giving up the chance to spend eternity in heaven or paradise in exchange for a few more years on earth. Utilizing the 4 C's is a great start to providing care to all patients. Although the 4 C's helps a great deal, experience dealing with patients of cultural differences will equip you for the
may refuse surgery, because their teaching is that blood transfusions, even if needed to save a person's life, must not be accepted. Their teaching no blood transfusion is base on four bible passage:
There are many ways in which the current blood donation policy is inadequate. From a medical perspective, there are better indicators
Jehovah's witnesses’ faith allows them to seek medical help; however, they do not accept blood transfusions. This belief arises from a biblical passage that states "Only flesh with its soul- its blood-you must not eat (Genesis 9:3-4), "You must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh, because the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood. I will set my face against that person who eats blood...Anyone eating it will be cut off” (Leviticus 17:10, 13-14). These passages are interpreted by Jehovah's witnesses as forbidding the transfusion of any blood products. The following presentation will address legal and ethical issues that can arise from this scenario.