Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in having blood transfusions. It is seen as a violation of a scriptural mandate given in the New Testament book of Acts when Jesus’s apostles advised the Saints of Antioch to “keep abstaining from things offered unto idols and from blood,” with the promise that if they did, they would prosper and enjoy good health (Acts 15:29). Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili, however, does believe in the value of blood transfusions. When a Jehovah’s Witness couple in Georgia recently refused a blood transfusion for their daughter, who had suffered severe burns to her back, President Saakashvili overruled their religious beliefs and ordered doctors to go ahead with the transfusion. See story here.
While the Jehovah’s Witness ban might have its roots in scripture, the church also provides what they view as scientifically reasoned arguments to back it up, such as statistics that show potential dangers involved in the acceptance of foreign blood into one’s body. The official Jehovah’s Witness website emphasizes that they are not opposed to medical treatment per se, but feel that only bloodless medicine and surgery are the type of care that is approved by God, and further, that it may even present a new standard of care that is beginning to be recognized by some professionals. Meanwhile, blood transfusion continues to carry the endorsement of institutions such as the American Medical Association, despite some recognized risks.
Related articles:
Church–State Relations in Europe
By Russell Sandberg and Norman Doe , Cardiff University
(Vol. 2, September 2007)
Religion Compass
Jehovah’s Witnesses
A New Dictionary of Religions
Edited by: JOHN R. HINNELLS
Religion Compass 