JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES THE SURGICAL/ETHICAL CHALLENGE - WITNESS POSITION ON THERAPY

Jehovah's Witnesses accept medical and surgical treatment.  In fact, scores  of them are physicians, even surgeons.  But Witnesses are deeply religious people who believe the blood transfusion is forbidden for them by Biblical passages such as: "Only flesh with its soul-its blood-you must not eat." ( Genesis 9:3,4) "[You must] pour its blood out and cover it with dust" [Leviticus 17:13, 14]; and  "Abstain from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. - Acts 19:10-22. 

While these verses are not stated in medical terms, Witnesses view them as  ruling out transfusion of whole blood, packed RBC's and plasma, as well as WBC and platelet administration.  However, Witnesses' religious understanding does not absolutely prohibit the use of components such as albumin, immune globulins, and hemophiliac preparations; each Witness must decide individually if he can accept these.

Witnesses believe that blood removed from the body should be disposed of, so they do not accept autotransfusion of predeposited blood.  Techniques for intraoperative collection or hemodilution that involve blood storage are objectionable to them.  However, many Witnesses permit the use of dialysis and heart-lung equipment (non-blood prime) as well as introperative salvage where the extracorporal circulation is uninterrupted; the physician should consult with the individual patient as to what his conscience The Witnesses do not feel that the Bible comments directly on organ transplants; hence, decisions regarding cornea, kidney, or other transplants must be made by the individual Witness.

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