Fading and the Blood Issue

by brotherdan 12 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  TD

  Lots of things you could say in this situation Dan. How about:

  "You know, I used to think it was a simple question about "Blood" vs. "No Blood" but it's really not. Whole blood is almost never transfused anymore. Blood is broken down soon after donation because the components individually are worth much more than whole blood.

  The question today is which components we must refuse and which ones we can accept. I'm pretty clear on some of them, but the others are confusing. Some of the ones we can accept are actually administered as transfusions! If I ever met a doctor at the door who wanted to argue, I'm not sure I could give an answer that makes any kind of sense.

  I guess it would depend on the medical situation and what blood component was needed"
• 

  steve2

  So brotherdan, your choice is not at all difficult; in fact it's crystal clear:

  Save your marriage or your son's life.

  To me, it's a no brainer. Respond to your wife's understandable emotional blackmail with silent compassion, knowing that should your son ever need a transfusion you will do what any loving parent would do: Seek the health profesional's advice.

  And, in the meantime, try to give the sore issues a bt of a rest in the marital setting and look instead to do pleasant things together.
• 

  jwfacts

  I do think you have an inroad here to discuss a very eye opening issue with your wife. You just need to ask her a couple of questions about blood, so as not to get her defenses up, rather than make it about the organisation. Something like the following.

  The Watchtower used to allow blood transfusions. Then from the 1950s no blood or any fractions were allowed. Now fractions are allowed. What if your son died refusing a component of blood that is not allowed such as white cells, and then the Watchtower changes that too and makes it allowable? How would she feel?

  It was the same with organ transplants. They were allowed in the 1960's, not allowed in the 1970's, and allowed again in the 1980's. How would the parents feel if their child died refusing a kidney and then found out that a couple of years later Jehovah does not mind kidney transplants?

  The blood isssue is bound to keep changing as it still does not make sense. A JW cannot donate blood but can use blood fractions. It does not make sense, so you know the teaching is not from Jehovah.