If you were to ask any witness whether or not the blood doctrine is scripturally or medically based, you would receive the same answer 100% of the time. "Scripturally, of course." But is it really?
There is one component in particular which shows the WTS uses medically based information to cement its postion on what is and what is not allowed for a witness to accept. This component is a red blood cell(erythrocyte). All components could be used for this argument, but for this topic, RBC's provide the most damaging information.
The WTS's stance on RBC's has never changed. For decades upon decades, this deep red colored component has been banned. If a witness were to accept a transfusion of packed RBC's, the acceptance of such would result in one of two outcomes: First, the witness in question could automatically be cast out from the organization if they felt that it was needed in order to save their life. This would be the same as disassociating yourself based on your actions. The other outcome would be that a witness accepted the banned component but felt horribly guilty after being transfused and sincerely repented in front of the elders. This would likely result in losing privileges for a time and possibly being privately reproved. In either case, the witness who accepted the transfusion was simply trying to save his or her own life. No one wants to leave a spouse, child, or any other family member in dire straits because of health/medical issues that affect them.
In breaking down the RBC we find that it contains a protien called hemoglobin. This protien makes up 97% of a red blood cell. The remaining 3% consists of an outer membrane. Hemoglobin's primary task is the transmission of oxygen from the lungs to the body's tissue, organs, and muscles. A fairly important job!
So if the WTS bans the use of RBC's, what is the reason for doing so? They have never given a clear cut response to that question. There is no biblical verse which breaks down the various fractions and components of blood. It is simply their own idea as to which components are allowed and which ones are not.
We need to ask ourselves, if RBC's are a banned component but hemoglobin is allowed, what really is the difference between the two? Answer: Only a very thin membrane. Remember that 3%? This measly membrane can mean life and death to anyone that is transused with the wrong type of blood. Ahhh, so what is the big deal with this membrane and how can it cause death? Each RBC outer membrane is made from a mesh-like protien that can bend, twist, and contort itself to make its way through various passages in the bloodstream. Professor Amy Sung of UCSD's Jacobs School of Engineering says this about RBC's: "Red cells are one of the few kinds of cells in the body with no nucleus and only a thin layer of protein skeleton under their membrane: they are living bags of hemoglobin." The membrane surface contains an antigen which classifies a person's blood type. This is where we get the terms ABO and Rh. In very simplistic terms, each of the blood types can be compared to different colored water balloons. A water balloon holds water inside a very thin layer of rubber. The content of different colored water balloons is the same, only what you see from the outside varies. The same applies to RBC's. A, B, O, and Rh blood types are all different "colors." The protiens contained inside the "balloons" are virtually the same.
Ask yourself, why is the WTS allowing the use of a protien such as hemoglobin, but banning the use of the very thin membrane which carries hemoglobin? Remember, the bible is very silent on this matter. If the bible does not provide guidance as to the reason for this stance, what else remains? If a witness felt that they were following the scriptures but the bible is quiet, could it possibly be a medical issue? It obviously appears this way. If there truly was a scripturally based reason to avoid this membrane, where can we read about it? It's nowhere to be found in the bible. Was it simply a man-made rule to avoid the use of this membrane? All thinking witnesses must come to their own conclusion.