Jehovah's Witnesses and the Question of Blood
From NoBlood
[edit] Jehovah's Witnesses and the Question of Blood
Jehovah's Witnesses accept medical and surgical treatment. In fact, scores of them are physicians and surgeons. As a people with great respect for the Bible, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that blood transfusions are forbidden for them. They base their beliefs on Biblical passages such as: "Only flesh with its soul”its blood” you must not eat" (Genesis 9:3-4); "[You must] pour its blood out and cover it with dust" (Leviticus 17:13-14); and "Abstain from . . . fornication and from what is strangled and from blood" (Acts 15:19-21).1
While these verses are not stated in medical terms, Jehovah's Witnesses view them as ruling out transfusion of whole blood, packed RBCs, and plasma, as well as WBC and platelets. It is important to note that this religious understanding does not absolutely prohibit the use of blood derived components such as albumin, immune globulins, and hemophiliac preparations; in the case of these components each Witness must decide individually if he can accept them.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that blood removed from the body should be disposed of (poured out), so they do not accept Pre-Autologous Donation (PAD). Techniques for intraoperative collection such as acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) may or may not be objectionable to them. Some Jehovah's Witness patients will allow ANH providing the withdrawn whole blood is attached to them via a return line. Others will allow the blood to be withdrawn and set aside temporarily. Many Witnesses permit the use of extracorporeal circulation techniques such as dialysis and heart-lung equipment as well as intraoperative salvage; open dialog between the physician and patient will help determine what tools and techniques are acceptable to the patient
