Psychology

Jehovahs Witnesses is a millenarian, Christian denomination. They reject immorality of the soul, trinitarianism, and hellfire which they believe to be unscriptural doctrines. Besides, they never participate in celebrations, such as birthdays, Christmas, and Easter due to their perceived pagan origins (The Watchtower, 1990). Baptized members who go against the organizations basic moral principles or who question doctrinal matters are always subjected to disciplinary action. Jehovahs Witnesses perceive secular society as a place of immorality that is under the authority of Satan and thus, limits their associations with non-Witnesses. They are best known for their door to door preaching and distribution of literature, such as Awake and the Watchtower. They are as well identified for their religious doctrines that refute blood transfusion and military service even in life threatening scenarios (The Watchtower, 1990).

Biblical Reasons Blood Transfusion Refusal
For more than half a century, Jehovahs Witnesses have enthusiastically, vigorously, and devotedly rejected any medical practice that involves transfusion of blood. In several well documented cases, the Witnesses have permitted family members perish, rather than allowing a blood transfusion to save their lives. According to Watchtower published booklets, it is wrong to sustain human life by administering red blood cells, plasma, or other component parts of the blood. They encompass a strong believe that breaching the rule on transfusion of blood will damage the relationship they have with God and that blood transfusion is highly discouraged in a number of Biblical passages (The Watchtower, 1990).

The adherents of Jehovah have misapplied a number of Bible passages in an attempt to hold up their bloodless theory. The misapplied Biblical passages include Genesis 94, in which they state that immediately following the flood, God forbade Noah from eating fresh with the life thereof that is the blood thereof (Ariga and Bailey, 1998). Moreover, in correlation with certain animal sacrifices, Witnesses believe that Moses laws in Old Testament emphasize that one shall neither consume blood nor fats (Leviticus 317). The interpretation of Witnesses is that the Lord affirmed that he was in opposition to any soul that consume or eats blood, and the rationale or reasoning behind this is that life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 1710-11). Opponents of this controversial doctrine believe that the purpose of this unpopular regulation was due to the fact that Jehovahs Witnesses had allotted blood as a fitting symbol of their atonement process. Just as Israelis were trained in the ideas of salvation and sin, the sanctity of blood transfusion was employed by this Christian religion as a visual aid in their religious education (Ariga and Bailey, 1998).  

It ought to be noted, however that animal blood was under deliberation in these biblical passages, and it was the drinking eating of blood that was outlawed and not blood transfusion. Thus these Biblical passages contain nothing whatever with the current medical practice of blood transfusion in sustaining physical life. There is an enormous disparity between drinking or eating and receiving a blood transfusion. Similarly, another misapplied Biblical passage is found in New Testament (Acts 1520-29), where Christians are instructed to abstain from blood. In this case, the illusion may be to pagan, ritualistic ceremonies where blood would be eaten or drunk. Whenever the background, adversaries of this doctrine still uphold that there is no correlation between those ancient practices and present life saving medical procedure like transfusion of blood.

Alternatives to Blood Transfusion
With the current alternatives to blood transfusion, Jehovahs Witnesses patients no longer have to perish for crave of blood. Cell salvage is a bloodless surgical technique which has been accepted by Witnesses. In this procedure the lost blood during the surgical procedure is siphoned from the patients body, passed via a filter for purification, and returned to the body. As earlier stated, Jehovahs Witnesses patients deem that accepting blood from a different source is a gross violation of scriptural teaching that their religion embraces steadfast (Ford, 2007). Therefore, this bloodless technique was developed to meet the demands as well as needs of the entire Jehovahs Witnesses community. Bloodless surgery is blood transfusion-free and is satisfactory to Witness followers, since they are being rein fused with their individual blood. Additionally, this bloodless surgery is a viable and life saving alternative for these type of patients and those cagey, wary, or cautious of the blood safety supply. The alternative is as well safe for a mounting number of medical and surgical conditions, apart from acute leukemia and traumatic injury (Ford, 2007).

So, with this alternative to blood transfusion, Jehovahs Witnesses are able to access optimum medical care in each and every type of operation, comprising transplants, open heart surgery, as well as surgery in children. Virtually every medical procedure and operation is being performed for Jehovahs Witnesses adherents and even for several others who are non-Witnesses who decide bloodless medicine and surgery. As a result, a considerable number of surgeons and doctors, non-Witnesses, have dedicated themselves to furthering bloodless medicine (Nakamura, 1993). This in itself has proven to be life saving, rather than the opposite. With cell salvage technique, survival and post operation recovery rates have been reported to be higher for Witnesses and for non-Witnesses individuals who utilize bloodless medicine methods. This has been largely because of the quality of the medical treatment that is generally of an elevated standard. In applying this alternative, there is no pass on of diseases from the donor to the recipients. Secondly, unlike blood transfusion that shocks the immune system, cell salvage technique when employed does not shock the patients immune system and thus, this greatly improves the recovery rate for those opting for this procedure, as compared to those receiving similar operation with blood (Nakamura, 1993).

Apart from cell salvage, there are a number of drugs which are utilized as alternatives to blood transfusion. The application of these drugs depends on the kind of surgery a patient will be having and also his or her current medical condition. Erythropoietin is usually a naturally occurring hormone that is produced by the kidneys. This drug triggers the patients body to produce more red blood cells and is utilized in treating anemia related ailments. Erythropoietin is as well extensively used as a transfusion option by surgeons and doctors to Jehovahs Witnesses and other individuals who wary of blood transfusion. It encompasses the similar benefits like those of cell salvage of non- immune system shocking, free from infection, but have several side effects, which include skin reactions, high blood pressure, bone pain, headaches, and flu-like symptoms. Trasylol (a protinin) is another alternative drug to transfusion of blood. It is normally given before heart surgery to cut down on the risk of bleeding and the need for blood transfusion. Trasylol is made from the cows tissues. Though has a number of side effect, such as allergic reactions, thrombophlebitis, and blood clot formation, it assists in saving several lives of Jehovahs Witnesses opposed to direct transfusion of whole blood. This alternative method enjoys the benefit of not infecting any particular disease to the patients and just like the other two options to transfusion, trasylol does not lead to any possible danger of blood incompatibility (Ford, 2007).

Todays Blood Transfusion Risks
Like any other medical procedure, transfusion of blood has risks associated with it. These risks include infections, transfusion reactions, and allergic reactions (Goodnough, 1990). Though, the donated blood is usually screened, there is still a minute risk of getting a viral (hepatitis B and C, HIV, and West Nile virus), parasitic, or bacterial infections from a transfused blood. The risk of contracting HIV emanating from blood transfusion ranges from 1 in 200000 to 1 in two million, whist the risk of contracting hepatitis C ranges from 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 150, 000. Besides, if the recipient blood is not appropriately matched to that of the donor, or if the blood is transfused to the wrong individual by mistake, severe incompatibility illness may result, comprising kidney damage, hemolysis, and even death. It has been noted that risk of severe incapability reactions leads to approximately 1 in 250,000 to 600, 000 deaths (Goodnough, 1990). Finally, allergic reactions originating from blood transfusion may be mild and easy to treat, or severe, resulting in death. Due to these blood transfusion risks, Jehovahs Witnesses request for bloodless alternatives is now accepted and used by the medical community. While they refused blood transfusion on religious basis, rather than medical reasons, many people have agreed that this rejection has assisted the Witnesses as well as other individuals in avoiding several fatal and costly diseases, such as hepatitis and AIDS.