Jehovah’s Witnesses and Blood

This section addresses some of the issues that confront doctors who treat Jehovah’s Witnesses and their children – particularly the ethical issues. Physicians are often troubled by the beliefs and misinformation their Jehovah’s Witness patients have about blood as well as the shifting and irrational aspects of the Watchtower Society’s blood policy. Here you will find tools to help you better communicate with your patient, establish informed consent, provide for their welfare and help them make autonomous choices.

AJWRB can provide educational information and exhibits for medical conferences as well as presentations and Q&A sessions for Emergency and Anesthesia Departments. For more information please contact us.

Refusal of potentially life-saving blood transfusions by Jehovah’s Witnesses: should doctors explain that not all JWs think it’s religiously required? – Raanan Gillon, Editor – Journal of Medical Ethics

Bioethics of the refusal of blood by Jehovah’s Witnesses: Part 1. Should bioethical deliberation consider dissidents’ views? – Osamu Muramoto/Journal of Medical Ethics

Bioethics of the refusal of blood by Jehovah’s Witnesses: Part 2. A novel approach based on rational non-interventional paternalism. – Osamu Muramoto/Journal of Medical Ethics

Bioethics of the refusal of blood by Jehovah’s Witnesses: Part 3. A proposal for a don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy. – Osamu Muramoto/Journal of Medical Ethics.  – Osamu Muramoto/Journal of Medical Ethics

Bioethical aspects of the recent changes in the policy of refusal of blood by Jehovah’s Witnesses – Osamu Muramoto/British Medical Journal. Note: The responses to this article amount to a thorough debate of the issue among Jehovah’s Witness representatives and are very  insightful.

Medical confidentiality and the protection of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ autonomous refusal of blood.  – Osamu Muramoto/Journal of Medical Ethics

Why some Jehovah’s Witnesses accept blood and conscientiously reject official Watchtower Society blood policy – Lee Elder/Journal of Medical Ethics

Click on the link below each excerpt to read the entire article.