Jehovah's Witness' beliefs and teachings about blood transfusions:
Some conservative Christian denominations urge or require their members to abandon all medical treatment in favor of prayer. This policy results in a very large number of infant and child deaths in these groups. However, we are aware of only one Christian faith group -- the Jehovah's Witnesses -- that permits or encourages its members to accept medical treatments while urging them to refuse to accept blood transfusions for themselves or their children.
The Witnesses' beliefs are mainly based on four passages in the Bible. To our knowledge, all other Christian and Jewish faith groups interpret these same passages as referring to dietary laws; i.e. to the actual eating of meat containing blood.
Canadian sextuplets could get blood transfusion, religion forbids it
Six premature babies born in Vancouver, British Columbia could get a blood transfusion, if the parents allow it. Premature babies are usually encouraged to get them, especially the sextuplets born on Sunday, which weigh 700 to 800 grams.
The parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, a faith that has a doctrine against blood transfusions. (Officially, the church holds that blood transfusions consisting of blood products, rather than whole blood, may be accepted by Witnesses in some circumstances as a matter of individual conscience; however, de facto all blood transfusions are forbidden to Witnesses. Many people who are a part of the faith create an Advance Medical Directive card ordering that no blood transfusions be given under any circumstances.)
"Non-blood treatment is way superior in every situation and many doctors in hospitals worldwide are calling it the gold standard," said Mark Ruge, director of public information at the Canadian headquarters for Jehovah's Witnesses, from his office in Georgetown, Ontario. "Even for young children and babies, there are alternatives – no (blood) transfusion doesn't mean you're going to die."
"To have blood is not the superior way, even though the little jingles on TV say blood gives life...Parents want the best for their children and so do we; we consider life very precious," said Ruge. "We love our children dearly; we're very family oriented... but there can be a public misperception."
Peter Cech, a spokesperson for B.C. Women's Hospital said their religious status was leaked by the media.
"I'm very curious about that," said a man of the Jehovah's Witnesses Assembly Hall in Surrey, B.C. "So what if they're Jehovah's Witnesses? What difference does it make? If they were Catholic would the hospital have said that?"
"If a Catholic had sextuplets would people call the Vatican?" he added. "When there's a car crash or someone has won the lottery, do they mention religion? This isn't a religious issue."
No information has been released since the babies were born after the parents publicly asked for privacy. The first child was born 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, the others Sunday.
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Canadian_sextuplets_could_get_blood_transfusion,_religion_forbids_it
Some conservative Christian denominations urge or require their members to abandon all medical treatment in favor of prayer. This policy results in a very large number of infant and child deaths in these groups. However, we are aware of only one Christian faith group -- the Jehovah's Witnesses -- that permits or encourages its members to accept medical treatments while urging them to refuse to accept blood transfusions for themselves or their children.
The Witnesses' beliefs are mainly based on four passages in the Bible. To our knowledge, all other Christian and Jewish faith groups interpret these same passages as referring to dietary laws; i.e. to the actual eating of meat containing blood.
Canadian sextuplets could get blood transfusion, religion forbids it
Six premature babies born in Vancouver, British Columbia could get a blood transfusion, if the parents allow it. Premature babies are usually encouraged to get them, especially the sextuplets born on Sunday, which weigh 700 to 800 grams.
The parents are Jehovah's Witnesses, a faith that has a doctrine against blood transfusions. (Officially, the church holds that blood transfusions consisting of blood products, rather than whole blood, may be accepted by Witnesses in some circumstances as a matter of individual conscience; however, de facto all blood transfusions are forbidden to Witnesses. Many people who are a part of the faith create an Advance Medical Directive card ordering that no blood transfusions be given under any circumstances.)
"Non-blood treatment is way superior in every situation and many doctors in hospitals worldwide are calling it the gold standard," said Mark Ruge, director of public information at the Canadian headquarters for Jehovah's Witnesses, from his office in Georgetown, Ontario. "Even for young children and babies, there are alternatives – no (blood) transfusion doesn't mean you're going to die."
"To have blood is not the superior way, even though the little jingles on TV say blood gives life...Parents want the best for their children and so do we; we consider life very precious," said Ruge. "We love our children dearly; we're very family oriented... but there can be a public misperception."
Peter Cech, a spokesperson for B.C. Women's Hospital said their religious status was leaked by the media.
"I'm very curious about that," said a man of the Jehovah's Witnesses Assembly Hall in Surrey, B.C. "So what if they're Jehovah's Witnesses? What difference does it make? If they were Catholic would the hospital have said that?"
"If a Catholic had sextuplets would people call the Vatican?" he added. "When there's a car crash or someone has won the lottery, do they mention religion? This isn't a religious issue."
No information has been released since the babies were born after the parents publicly asked for privacy. The first child was born 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, the others Sunday.
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Canadian_sextuplets_could_get_blood_transfusion,_religion_forbids_it
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