The Growing Demand for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery - Blood and Jehovah's Witnesses

 For Bible-related reasons, Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions.  But they do accept-and vigorously pursue-medical alternatives to blood.  "Jehovah's Witnesses actively seek the best in medical treatment," says Dr. Richard K. Spence, when directior of surgery at a New York hospital, "as a group, they are the best educated consumers the surgeon will ever encounter." 

Doctors have perfected  many bloodless surgery techniques on Jehovah's Witnesses.  Consider the experience of cardiovascular surgeon Dention Cooley. Over a period of 27 years, his team performed bloodless open-heart surgery on 663 of Jehovah's Witnesses.  The results clearly demonstrate that cardiac operations can be successfully performed without the use of  blood. 

True, many have criicized the Jehovah's Witnesses for their refusal of blood. But a guide published by the Association of Anaestheitist of Great Britain and Ireland calls the Witnesses'  position "a sign of respect for life."  In truth, the Witnesses' rigorous sand has been a major force behind safer medical treatment becoming available for all.  "Jehovah's Witnesses  in need of surgery have shown the way and exerted pressure for improvements in an important sector of the Norwegian health services," writes Professor Stein A. Evensen, of Norway's National Hospital. 

Next time: The Growing Demand for Bloodless Medicine and Surgery - Blood and Jehovah' Witnesses

From the jw.org publications