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 Encouraging WT leaders to further reform blood policies

What can I do?

Recent changes allowing Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) to accept all blood fractions of primary components are strong indication that the Watchtower Society (hereafter WTS) is poised for further reforms. What can you do to help? We suggest that you write to your friends and family members who are JWs. If need be, you can send your letter anonymously. If you live in an area with few JWs, you should consider mailing the letter from an adjacent town or state. AJWRB has a brochure available that you can download and print as well as a list of questions that has proved helpful. Additionally, a letter written by H.L.C. members is available along with experiences that illustrate the devastating impact of the WTS's blood policy.

What else can be done?

You could write to the WTS society anonymously, including specific brothers: elders, circuit overseers, district overseers, friends at Bethel and members of the Governing Body. The WTS in particular needs to know that JWs will support a change in this policy. We have a database with names and addresses of individuals that you can write to about your concerns. Please help us expand the database if you cannot write to the individuals in your sphere of influence.

If you have the resources, you could take out ads in magazines or newspapers using the basic information from this site as a guide. You could list the internet address of this site: http://www.ajwrb.org/ and encourage JWs to visit it. Flyers can be printed and mailed to individuals or left where they will find them. You can also donate funds to AJWRB to assist us with our educational work and make it possible for us to take our message directly to the medical community by hosting information booths at large medical conventions.

The word is getting out. Many JWs now have access to the internet, and it's a trend that will continue, despite the WTS's  cautions. Even simply encouraging others to try surfing the web will likely lead many to the truth about blood. Now that the WTS is on the web, many of the friends are curious anyway. It's true, many JWs are not on the internet. We will need the assistance of those that are if we are to reach them. The lives of these ones may well depend on the willingness of individuals like yourself to get involved and make a difference.

Shouldn't we wait on the WTS?

Many individual elders and H.L.C. members, as well as AJWRB have attempted to bring these facts to the attention of responsible brothers, and indeed some reforms have occurred over the last few decades. Unfortunately, to speak out directly on this issue may prove very costly. Currently a repressive atmosphere exists in the organization. To disagree with the stated doctrinal positions of the WTS can and already has led to brothers and sisters being disfellowshiped, so we advise caution. Concern for the well being of other JWs demands that we do what we can to help others.

What about contributing to the WTS?

Many of us find that we can no longer financially support the WTS. Its blood doctrine is hopelessly inconsistent and without solid foundation in the Bible. We certainly respect the right of individuals to act on their conscience, but for the WTS to disfellowship those who can in good conscience accept the medical use of blood to save life is morally objectionable to many of us.

Is it reasonable for the WTS to force the hand of JWs in life and death situations, especially when minor children are involved? From the mail that we receive, we have been able to observe that the vast majority strongly object to the WTS's current blood doctrine once they have been given all of the evidence and had time to independently evaluate it.

By not providing complete information and by requiring compliance with this erroneous policy, Watchtower leaders may be implicating themselves in the deaths of hundreds, or more likely thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is difficult to see how a JW could support the continuation of the WTS blood policy since it regularly leads misinformed parents into refusing potentially life saving medical care for their children.

We encourage you to examine the issues carefully and act on your conscience. The key to reform is education. Please help your friends and loved ones learn the facts about blood and the WTS's blood policy. Hopefully they will be able to avert unnecessary tragedy in their lives. Please support our educational work by sending your contribution to:

A.J.W.R.B.
P.O. Box 190089
Boise, ID 83719-0089
U.S.A.