Last Updated on 14/04/2018 by Vivien Ayinotu
For a very long time, I’ve heard so much about Jehovah withnesses inability to receive blood transfusion based on their religious belief. Other sources have it that they are best known for it.
Recently, I had a genuine encounter. It happened that I was looking after a man in his late sixties who was severely ill and had underwent a bloody surgery. As a result, so much blood was lost.
On going through his theatre paperwork, he had agreed that there will be no blood transfusion of any sort even if it results to death. Mere reading those lines gave me chills. That kind of faith is powerful.
Families were present and made sure the request of their loved one was acted upon regardless of the circumstances. Interesting, one of the children was of different religion but still supported the rest of the family.
It was then I got to know that as a Jehovah withness, you ought to have a passport that clearly states your inability to receive blood transfusion and present it Doctors.
My patient had lost his passport recently and it was a bit of an issue because the consultant I had worked with demanded to see it. As far as he was concerned, the verbal communication and nursing documentations showing the obvious was not just enough to act upon.
“Where’s the passport” He asked.
The situation became more challenging as his haemoglobin (Hb) level dropped further to the lowest level I have ever come across.
As the situation worsened, tension built up. However, almost the time when the Drs had decided to try iron alternatives, one of the relatives coincidentally asked why other alternatives can not be tried. After a multidisciplinary meeting, it was agreed that iron dextran and other supplements will be used instead.
Next time I checked on him, Hb level had slightly gone up; just a little bit.
This makes me wonder how religion significantly affects our health. The look on the relatives faces each time they ask for HB value will always remain with me. It was a difficult situation and extremely challenging as they fought that battle of faith at that very critical time.
More of my health related posts are available in the health category. Previously, I talked about organ donation, Acute respiratory distress syndrome and other conditions.
Thanks you for reading this post. Have you had a similar experience? I will like to know your views.
Disclaimer: Confidentiality was maintained in the course of writing this post.
Very sad.
All based on the Old Testament prohibition on drinking blood.
And Moses and Aaron and later the Levite priesthood telling the Israelites that they must live by these laws.
But that’s the thing.
When I took a course in the History of Judaism and the Jewish People back in University, my Judaism professor commented on the JW belief on those passages and mentioned that the Hebrew word translated “Live” in English in those passages have a very specific meaning in Hebrew that can’t really be conveyed in English.
When they were told to live by all these rules, the implication was also implied “You shall not die by them.”
Thus when one of the Rothschild colony Jewish farming colonies that were established on the Canadian prairies back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries found itself caught up in a very severe winter and they were short on food and faced the possibility of starvation and the only food that their non-Jewish farming neighbours had in great supply was pork, the rabbinical leader of the colony accepted the pork.
Because while there was a Mosaic prohibition against eating pork, the implication was of course that the Israelites shall live by these rules but they shall not die by them (unless of course it was a matter of witnessing for the Faith- such as when the Syrian Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes ordered the Maccabees to eat the pork that had been sacrificed to the idol of Zeus in the Jewish Temple and the Maccabees quite rightly refused and were put to death and martyred for their faith).
Wow! You know your bible so well. Thanks for sharing these great info with me.
Most times, I wonder if we interpret the bible the right way it should be done.
I feel so bad and angry when we lose any one, especially kids! I get depressed for days. Unfortunately there’s nothing anyone can do, it’s their right to self governance and we must respect that! 😊
Sure, you are right. There’s nothing one can do, we ought to ensure their wishes are granted. Thanks Amaka. Welcome to my page🙏🏼