HOW CAN BLOOD SAVE YOUR LIFE?

THE BLOOD THAT REALLY SAVES LIVES

Certain points are clear from the foregoing information. Though many people view them as lifesaving, blood transfusions are fraught with risks. Each year thousands dies as a result of transfusions; multitudes more get  very sick and face long-term consequences. So, even from  a physical standpoint, there is a wisdom right now in heeding the Biblical command to 'abstain from blood.' -Acts 15:28, 29, Leviticus 17:10-14. 

Patients are protected from many hazards if they request non-blood medical management. Skilled physicians who have accepted the challenge of applying this on Jehovah's Witnesses  have developed a standard of practice that is safe and effective, as is proved in numerous medical reports. Physicians who provoke quality care without blood are not compromising valued medical principles. Rather, they show respect for a patient's right to know risks and benefits so that he can make an informed choice as to what will be done to his body and life.

We are not being  naive in this matter, for we realize that not all will agree with this approach. People differ as to conscience, ethics, and medical outlook. Hence, others, including some doctors, may find it hard to accept a patient's decision to abstain from blood. One New York surgeon wrote: "I will never forget 15 years ago, as a young intern when I stood at the bedside of a Jehovah's Witness who bled to death from duodenal ulcer.  The patient's wishes were respected and no transfusions were given, but I can still remember the tremendous frustration I felt as a physician." 

Next time: HOW CAN BLOOD SAVE YOUR LIFE?/Conclusion of: THE BLOOD THAT REALLY SAVES LIVES

From  the Watchtower magazine