by kitties_and_horses_oh_my! 9 Replies latest watchtower medical
I'm in a Speech class in college and would like to make full use of it to expose JW's as much as possible, but in a respectable manner that won't get me in trouble with the professor. I've decided to speak on whether or not it's okay for parents to refuse life-saving medical treatment for their children. I was interested in what particular arguments hold the most weight with you. Is there something you've heard, read or thought that really clenches the matter for you?
Thanks, Kitties
Your post title says refusing transfusions but your post talks about refusing medical care. As far as I know, with the exception of Christian Scientists (who refuse all medical treatment) the JWs are the only cult that refuses blood transfusions.
But a few key points I would hit on either focus:
What specific person in the religion put in place such a doctrine? What is his story? Does the group have other odd beliefs? What is their history?
Have they maintained a consistent stand on this issue? How do the implement their doctrine? What happens to the devotee who decides to exercise his conscience and break the rule?
Does the "holy text" they subscribe to actually support their beliefs? In the case of the JWs, it is obvious the Bible does not support avoidance of blood.
*waving @ k&h,om!
interesting topic and filled with plenty of emotions.
I've heard medical people say "how do you know that the child will grow up and accept his parents religion. Shouldn't the child have the option to live and make a decision when he/she is an adult".
So stick with facts, if you can. But there is nothing wrong, imho, to appeal to the mother/father love of a child and why would you want to sacrafice that child for men's opinion.
Have fun with the topic.
Joy
A point to consider may be the issue of "informed decisin". In the court case here a couple of years ago, the judge made an otherwise mature minor, a ward of the court, as the girl had not had sufficient exposure to other than JW viewpoints to make an informed decision.
Approximately 2/3 of all children raised as Jehovah's Witnesses leave the religion. It follows that of those children who die as a result of the refusal of life saving treatment, approximately 2/3 would have left the religion had they simply lived long enough. Their deaths were needless.
Take a look at the resources available at www.ajwrb.org
Best regards,
Lee
(((((kitties!!!))))) Been missing you! Glad you're busy with something fun!
Love,
Nina
I just read in the March 22, 2004 issue of the Awake! - Watching the World: Item: "How a Child's Death Affects Parents":
"Dying of a broken heart can be more than just a figure of speech," states The Times of London. Reasearchers at Denmark's University of Arhus "followed the lives of 21,062 parents in Denmark who had lost a child below the age of 18 to illness, accident, murder or suicide." They compared these parents with 300,000 others who had not lost a child. "In the first three years after a child's death, the chances of a mother dying of unnatural causes--usually accident or suicide--were nearly four times greater, while a father's risk increased by 57 per cent." The researchers suggest that increased stress may be the main reason for the higher death rate.
Perhaps the idea that it is just too, too, unnatural to intentionally let a child die shows how insupportable the Witnesses' stand on this blood transfusion issue really is. Not to mention how they have whittled away at the doctrine over the years, which shows they don't really know what they're talking about on this or other medically relevant issues that they have also "changed their mind" about over the years.
I think MegaDude's post could be the outline for your entire presentation. Fantastic, Mega!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate all your perspectives. Megadude, you're right - my post and topic header weren't the same. I originally had thought I would cover refusing medical tx (of which blood transfusions are a part) so as to not "target" Witnesses in my teacher's eyes - but what fun would that be? All of your ideas are so helpful - I'll post again when I get the outline done. Nina - good to hear from you!
Hugs,
Kitties
As material for arguing against their stand, you could point out how man made and convoluted the argument for which blood 'fractions' are theocratically acceptable. There's nowhere in the bible for telling you "which bits" of blood - it's a complete fabrication and invention of a nasty sort of people.
JW's believe that it is a sin to comitt suiside or murder, yet they do it every day when they refuse life saving medical treatment to themselves or their children. God loved us so much he sent his only begotten son ,Jesus, to die for us. God hold our life very high, so when a JW kills themselves or their children by refusing life saving treatment, how do you think this makes God feel, who sent his son to die for us?
