Kingdom Proclaimers Report
Respect for the Sanctity of Life
THE Bible shows that blood is precious in God’s eyes and that he condemns the misuse of it. (Leviticus 17:14; Acts 15:19, 20, 28, 29) Because of these Bible directives, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions.
To help doctors and hospital staffs to understand the religious position of Jehovah’s Witnesses on this matter and to appreciate that the Witnesses will accept alternative treatments, the Watch Tower Society has organized Hospital Liaison Committees (HLC) in different lands. Members of these committees visit hospitals to speak with medical personnel. Recently, in 12 cities in Poland, over 200 meetings were held, involving more than 500 medical doctors, mainly heads of clinics or of hospital wards. The following occurred during one such visit:
“A meeting at the Cardio-Surgical Clinic in Zabrze was a major achievement. Since 1986 the team at the clinic has been operating on our brothers without blood. As of now, 40 such operations have been performed. The clinic is ready to admit patients from all over Poland and from abroad as well. After a 50-minute discussion, a deputy head of a ward introduced members of the HLC to a group of patients and said: ‘These people are Jehovah’s Witnesses. They cooperate with our clinic, and they help us. Not only their fellow believers but also all other patients benefit from their help. Thanks to Jehovah’s Witnesses, we have become convinced that major heart surgery can be performed without blood.
“‘For example, we operated on this lady [pointing to one of his patients] without blood, and on Monday she is going home. I would like to note that we use blood much less frequently than before because it is dangerous. It is associated with HIV, hepatitis, and a prolonged recovery.
“‘I am a Catholic, but in our house we have always been tolerant of the views of others. Once I walked about the Slaski Stadium with my children. Previously, this stadium had been neglected, but we noticed that now it had changed beyond recognition. I asked one of the workers how this change came about. He said that the management had almost lost hope of fixing the stadium, but it was rented to Jehovah’s Witnesses, and they renovated it.
“‘So these are people from whom all of us can learn a lot. I think that in this ward we should be tolerant of the views of others.’ Then, pointing to a Witness who was to be operated on in a few days, he said: ‘This lady is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and she will be operated on without blood.’”
While Jehovah’s Witnesses do not try to force their beliefs on others, they themselves follow the apostles’ example and “obey God as ruler rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) This includes having respect for blood. They appreciate it when others respect their religious convictions on this issue.