Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules
It is against the doctrine of The Watchtower and Bible Tract Society for their followers, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, to accept blood transfusions. For this reason, this topic remains a critical issue in medical practice and ethics. Few patients can survive a haemoglobin level of less than 5 g per deci...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2013-02-01
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| Series: | South African Family Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/3737 |
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| author | D. Knapp van Bogaert G.A. Ogunbanjo |
| author_facet | D. Knapp van Bogaert G.A. Ogunbanjo |
| author_sort | D. Knapp van Bogaert |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It is against the doctrine of The Watchtower and Bible Tract Society for their followers, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, to accept blood transfusions. For this reason, this topic remains a critical issue in medical practice and ethics. Few patients can survive a haemoglobin level of less than 5 g per decilitre without transfusion. In the medical field, Jehovah’s Witnesses are widely known for their prohibition against the receipt of blood transfusions. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, as the church’s legislating body introduced the policy on refusal of blood in 1945, stating that blood transfusion defies divine precepts. This article reviews the ethics of blood transfusion in the Jehovah’s witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules in South Africa. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a50055d7302e44b5a09e39a54e224a6b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2078-6190 2078-6204 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-02-01 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-a50055d7302e44b5a09e39a54e224a6b2025-08-20T04:03:13ZengAOSISSouth African Family Practice2078-61902078-62042013-02-0155110.1080/20786204.2013.108743134691Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rulesD. Knapp van Bogaert0G.A. Ogunbanjo1Centre for Applied Ethics, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; and, Independent Consultant in EthicsDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, University of LimpopoIt is against the doctrine of The Watchtower and Bible Tract Society for their followers, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, to accept blood transfusions. For this reason, this topic remains a critical issue in medical practice and ethics. Few patients can survive a haemoglobin level of less than 5 g per decilitre without transfusion. In the medical field, Jehovah’s Witnesses are widely known for their prohibition against the receipt of blood transfusions. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, as the church’s legislating body introduced the policy on refusal of blood in 1945, stating that blood transfusion defies divine precepts. This article reviews the ethics of blood transfusion in the Jehovah’s witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules in South Africa.https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/3737jehovah’s witnessbloodblood productsautonomoustransfusionconfidentiality |
| spellingShingle | D. Knapp van Bogaert G.A. Ogunbanjo Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules South African Family Practice jehovah’s witness blood blood products autonomous transfusion confidentiality |
| title | Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules |
| title_full | Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules |
| title_fullStr | Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules |
| title_short | Ethics and medicine: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules |
| title_sort | ethics and medicine jehovah s witnesses and the new blood transfusion rules |
| topic | jehovah’s witness blood blood products autonomous transfusion confidentiality |
| url | https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/3737 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dknappvanbogaert ethicsandmedicinejehovahswitnessesandthenewbloodtransfusionrules AT gaogunbanjo ethicsandmedicinejehovahswitnessesandthenewbloodtransfusionrules |