Should
Christians reject Blood Transfusion?
YEMI OLAKITAN
The Jehovah’s witnesses, a major denomination of Christianity
in the world today with global membership numbering about 7million people is
known for its rejection of blood transfusion as a medical procedure even at the
point of death. This doctrine is said to
be supported by biblical verses from the book of (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23; Acts 15:28, 29)
However, mainstream Christian denominations such as the Catholic Church, the
Protestants and the Pentecostal do not support this doctrine.
According to the United States National Library of Medicine, Blood
transfusion is generally the process of receiving blood products
into one's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for
various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early
transfusions used whole blood, but
modern medical practice commonly uses only components of the blood, such
as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting factors, and platelets. There are many reasons one
may need a blood transfusion, after knee or hip replacement surgery, or other
major surgery or after a serious injury. A blood transfusion is a safe and
common procedure during which you receive blood through an intravenous (IV)
line placed in one’s blood vessels. It takes 1 to 4 hours to receive the blood,
depending on how much the patient need. There are several sources of blood. The
most common source of blood is from volunteers in the general public. Many
communities have a blood bank at which any healthy person can donate blood.
This blood is tested to see if it matches that of the patient. Donated blood is tested for many different
infections. Also, blood centers keep a list of unsafe donors. Donors answer a
detailed list of questions about their health before they are allowed to
donate. Questions include risk factors for infections that can be passed on
through their blood, such as sexual habits, drug use, and current and past
travel history.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible prohibits ingesting blood and that Christians should therefore
not accept blood
transfusions or donate
or store their own blood for transfusion. The
belief is based on an interpretation of scripture that differs from that of
mainstream Christian denominations. It
is one of the doctrines for which Jehovah's Witnesses are most well known.
Watch Tower
Society publications
teach that the Witnesses' refusal of transfusions of whole blood or its four
primary components—red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma—is a
non-negotiable religious stand and that those who respect life as a gift from God do
not try to sustain life by taking in blood, even
in an emergency. Witnesses are
taught that the use of fractions such as albumin, immunoglobulin and hemophiliac preparations are "not absolutely
prohibited" and are a matter of personal choice.
The doctrine was introduced in
1945, and has undergone some changes since then. The Watch Tower Society has
established Hospital Information Services to provide education and facilitate bloodless
surgery. This service also maintains Hospital Liaison Committees,
whose function is to provide support to adherents.
The founder of Jehovah’s witnesses,
Charles Taze Russell was reported to have started this doctrine on
"biblical" grounds. It is described as one of the ‘‘WTS' truly odd
tenets.’’
You shall eat no blood whatever,
whether of fowl or of animal, in any of your dwellings. Whoever eats any
blood, that person shall be cut off from his people (Lv 7:26-27).
For the life of every creature is
the blood of it; therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not
eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood;
whoever eats it shall be cut off (Lv 17:14).14:3-21),
According to the Catholic Church is
a statement on the matter, Witnesses misunderstand what these passages are
talking about. In both Leviticus 7 and 17 the prohibition is against the eating of
blood, not reception of blood through transfusions (a medical
procedure which was developed only within the last century). Witnesses
ignore the fact that in a single passage in Leviticus the Lord prohibits the
eating of both blood and fat: "It shall be a perpetual statute throughout
your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor
blood" (3:17). Yet the Watchtower does not condemn the eating of fat, and
no Jehovah's Witness would feel any moral regret against eating a bag of fried
pork or enjoying a nice, fatty cut of prime rib.
However, in the book of
Genesis 9:4, the Bible says, ‘‘but flesh with the life thereof, which is
the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.’’ In Leviticus 17:10-12, it says ‘‘ I will set my face against any Israelite or any
foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For
the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes
atonement for one’s life.[ 12 Therefore
I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner
residing among you eat blood.” Similarly in the book of Deuteronomy
12:23, 23, only be sure that thou eat not the
blood: for the blood is the
life; and thou mayest not
eat the life with the flesh. Also in the
book Acts 15:28-29, 28 It seemed good
to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything
beyond the following requirements: 29 You
are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of
strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these
things. According to the Jehovah’s
witnesses injecting blood intravenously is the same as eating blood. Is this correct?
Can these scriptures be used to
justify the rejection of blood transfusion at the point of death or severe
medical condition of a Christian believer?
These scriptures are commonly quoted by the Jehovah’s witnesses in their
door to door evangelism. They have been used as a valid point for the doctrine
of blood transfusion rejection even in the face of critical illness although a
Jehovah’s Witness name withheld said, it is a question of individual conscience
for the members of the denomination.
According to her, there is no compulsion whatsoever in the doctrine as
witnesses are free to make their own individual decision whether they will
accept or reject blood transfusion. However, it is a standard doctrine of the
organization.
In a chat with Pastor Emmanuel
Onoja of Hope of Life Evangelical Church on the doctrine of blood transfusion,
he said, people suffer because of ignorance. I don’t see anything wrong in
taking blood for medical reasons or in donating blood to save other people’s lives.
Blood is very significant in the scripture. Take a look at our Lord Jesus
Christ, he saved our lives by shedding his blood, there is nowhere in the
scripture where the Bible forbid Christians from taking blood when they are
ill. The
Bible speaks of the blood of animals and not the blood of human being
which is the one used in transfusion and the purpose is to save lives during
critical medical procedure,’’ he said.
Reverend Father John Okoro of
Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Elegbata, Lagos Island, said, the Catholic Church
accepts transfusions, "the Bible is not opposed to this kind of therapy
that, on the other hand, was unknown in the times of Jesus. Jesus Christ
teaches us that giving one’s life for others is the greatest expressions of
love, Jesus gave his blood so that we can have eternal life, he gave his blood.
It is because of the sacrifice of Jesus that we have hope of eternal live after
this earthly existence. To say that blood transfusion is wrong is clearly and
erroneous teaching because of the example of our Lord Jesus. The purpose of
blood transfusion is to save lives, that can’t be wrong or sinful,’’ he said.
Elder Ogunjobi of the Redeemed
Christian Church of God, Awoyaya said, I completely disagree with the Jehovah’s
witnesses. The verses we are talking about is referring to food sacrificed to
idols or animal blood sacrificed to idols. It was not talking about human blood
donated to save lives in medicine. I do
not agree with their views on the subject of blood. As a minister of God, I feel
that Christians should donate blood because it saves lives and when they have
to take it for medical reasons they should. Jesus Christ taught us that the old
prohibitions of food have no meaning in the New Covenant. 'The Kingdom of God
is not a matter of food or drink, but of justice and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit' (Romans 14:17).
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