Jehovah’s Witnesses, particularly those in positions of oversight, need to fully come to grips with the toll in human lives and suffering the Watchtower’s bizarre policies on blood have amassed over the past sixty or seventy years.
In this section we will examine some of the stories that illustrate the impact the policy has had on those indoctrinated, unduly influenced and in some cases coerced by Watchtower leaders.
Chaunte Cardwell – from Near Death to Freedom
Shortly after I was born, my parents decided to become Jehovah’s Witnesses. My dad was an elder, and everyone in our family pioneered during the summer while I was growing up. I was baptized in 1986 at thirteen years of age, in Ogden, Utah. We were the picture-perfect...
Former HLC Chairman’s Confession: A Victim Can Become Guilty of Harming Others
This article borrows from chapter seven of "Acquiring Freedom From Fundamentalist Religious Thinking" written by Dieter Parczany (under his pen name Peter Porjohn). The author is a member of the leadership team of AJWRB. It is not easy for me to write my story, but it...
Evelyn’s Story
I had stopped going to the meetings for six months. Before that I was fading, but it wasn’t deliberate. The stress of being a Jehovah’s Witness and the daily treadmill on Watchtower’s hamster-wheel was too much for my physical and mental health. In early 1992 I moved...
Saving A Thousand Lives a Year
The Open Minds Foundation has published a two-part story that recounts some of the early history of AJWRB, and the circumstances that drove Lee Elder to take a deep interest in the Watchtower's blood transfusion policies. His story is a personal one that includes how...
Watchtower Sacrificial Lambs
Featured on the cover of the May 22, 1994 Awake! magazine are the photos of 26 children, with the caption: “Youths Who Put God First.” Inside the magazine proclaims: “In former times thousands of youths died for putting God first. They are still doing it, only today...
JW Elders Pressure Non-Believers to Conform
My name is Robert Weslowski Jr. (Bob), and I am from Tucson, Arizona. Back in 1996, my father, Robert, who was 72 years old, entered a local hospital via the emergency room complaining of severe stomach pains. This was not unusual for him as he suffered from severe...
Blood Saved Their Lives
Hi, I am not going to give any names but want all to know the following information. I have been a JWs for 40 years since I was 6 years old, 2 weeks ago I got the reform blood information from the net, and totally agree with what they say as I have experienced it...
Gestapo Tactics – the Wayne Rogers story
Freedom of thought is a right that many people take for granted. There are many people who believe they have freedom of thought but are mistaken. I was one of those. My name is Wayne Rogers. I was raised in the religious organization known as Jehovah’s Witnesses...
Silenced – The Rado Vleugel Story
My name is Rado Vleugel. I was born on January 1, 1973 in the city of Amsterdam while fire crackers where making a lot of noise. The January 15, 1994 Watchtower page 22 tells something about my history as a Witness of Jehovah: "Rado, mentioned earlier, was six years...
Stories That Break Hearts
The Watchtower's blood, organ transplant and vaccine bans have had a devastating impact on the lives of many people. Statistics are difficult to come by, but it is likely that thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses have been disabled or lost their lives as a result of these...
Debbie Shard’s Story
I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness in a family with a long history as members, going back to 1910. And I grew up truly believing it was the truth. However, there were many issues, as I grew older that disturbed my conscience and so I want to tell my story. My dad was...
My Child is Dead
My son was theocratic - bright and promising and a true servant of Jehovah. He dreamed of going to Bethel to serve Jehovah more fully. He prepared for meetings on his own, pioneered during summer breaks, handled the microphones at the Kingdom Hall, and timed the...