Lesson 39 God’s View of Blood

[Click for Transcript]|[How to Make Health-Care Decisions Regarding Blood]
[Text: Reenactment] [quickly wheeled through a hospital, a man on a stretcher, grimaces as he speaks to a doctor who urgently writes on a clipboard]
Brother 1: Everything happened so fast. Everyone thought that because so much blood was lost, my life was in danger, and I would need a blood transfusion.
[A woman in a hospital bed]
Sister 1: The medical professionals were describing treatments that I wasn’t familiar with. I was (in my mind) trying to think: ‘Have I heard of this? ‘Do I know what this is? Have I read about it?’
[A Woman in a Doctor’s office]
Sister 2: She explained that it was a complicated surgery and that because I didn’t take blood, it would be obviously more serious.
Presenter: We love life, and in any medical situation, we want treatments that preserve or restore our health. But more important, we want to respect the Creator of life and his law on blood.
[Noah and his family leave the Ark with animals]
God first spoke that law to Noah’s family. After the Flood, God told them that the animals could serve as food, but he added: Only flesh with its life, its blood, you must not eat.
[Text: Genesis 9:4]
Blood represents the life of a creature and should not be misused.
[Law being read to Jews]
God repeated this law to ancient Israel with clear instructions: You must not eat it. You should pour it out on the ground like water.
[Deuteronomy 12:24]
It was the same for early Christians. They received written direction to “keep abstaining... from blood.
[Acts 15:29]
Jehovah’s Witnesses still obey that command today, even though it can be a challenge to understand how that command should be applied to the numerous medical treatments now available.
[All three doing personal research]
Donated whole blood is often separated into its four main components,
[Test tube of blood]
red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. We abstain from blood by refusing to accept a transfusion of whole blood or of any of those four main components. How did one brother demonstrate the strength necessary to abstain from blood during an emergency?
Brother 2: When it comes to blood, we have to be prepared. So that’s what I did. I researched it, and I prayed to Jehovah so that I could understand his thoughts and follow them. And then I wrote down my wishes.
[Puts folded paper into wallet]
I never thought that I would have such an accident.
[On the stretcher showing open wallet to doctor]
I am very thankful to Jehovah that he helped me understand all of these things, and because of that, I was able to make and stick to a decision that pleases him.
Presenter: Blood fractions are things that are extracted from any one of the four main blood components. But the Bible does not provide specific direction about using these fractions. So, to accept them or not is a personal decision. Some believe that a small, isolated fraction is no longer blood. Others feel they can’t use anything that came from blood.
[Scientist looks in microscope]
How did one sister make an informed decision about which medications containing blood fractions to accept?
Sister 1: When it came to fractions, for me, the challenge was figuring out what I really felt about it and deciding for myself what I would or wouldn’t accept and why.
[She highlights in a book and compares the Bible]
At stake is our relationship with Jehovah and having a clean conscience before him. So, it’s something that no one else could have done for me. I had to make clear to my doctor that I absolutely would not accept blood or any of the four main components. And I also explained to him what medications and other treatments I was willing to accept.
Presenter: What questions should Christians ask themselves about medical procedures involving their own blood? What if during the course of a therapy or procedure some of my blood will be diverted outside my body and the flow might be interrupted for a time? Does my conscience allow me to view this blood as still part of me, thus not requiring that it be poured “out on the ground”? What if during a medical procedure some of my own blood will be withdrawn, modified, and directed back into (or onto) my body? Does it trouble my Bible-trained conscience? Or could I accept such a procedure? Am I aware that refusing all medical procedures involving the use of my own blood means that I would not accept a blood test, haemodialysis, or the use of a heart-lung bypass machine? What did one sister do to ensure she made a decision that would not disturb her conscience?
Sister 2: So, my doctor presented me with an effective, alternative procedure. It was something that I knew about, but I asked her to clarify the details to make sure that what she was talking about was OK with my conscience.
[Taking notes, she peers over a Bible and highlights literature]
So, I made it a personal study project, and I also asked a mature friend to help me go through all the information. I made my decision with a clean conscience, and I knew it would make Jehovah’s heart glad.
Presenter: How can you make informed decisions about the medical use of blood? Pray for God’s wisdom and holy spirit. Meditate on what the Bible teaches and learn about the medical treatments that may be offered to you. If needed, ask for help to understand the options. And finally, put your decisions in writing. Jehovah God knows what is best for us. And when our resolve to obey him is tested, he doesn’t want us to feel alone. He wants to help us. When we accept this help and show respect for life that comes from him, we can look forward to a paradise with perfect health and everlasting life.
[The two sisters and brother interviewed are shown in a row of three frames, joyfully smiling]
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