Judge overrules parents on transfusion for boy (3)

I have given up on the idea of posting one large "Jehovah's Witness News" each month and instead I am going to post individual items of news about Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, with my comments (in bold), as I become aware of them.

"Judge overrules parents on transfusion for boy (3)," Irish Independent, Tim Healy, February 21 2012 ... A THREE-year-old boy can be given a blood transfusion during surgery despite religious objections from his Jehovah's Witness parents, the High Court has ruled.

[Right: Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns: The Supreme Court of Ireland]

The child, who cannot be named, needs to have his tonsils removed because of recurring infections. The boy's father told the court yesterday that while he and his wife wanted him to get the best medical treatment, it was a core belief that blood "is not to be taken to the body". The child's consultant, in an affidavit, said if the hospital was not in a position to administer the transfusion, there was a risk of death and brain damage ... The parents said they would consent to certain blood products being administered -- but not red blood cells, which a consultant haematologist considered was vital -- if required ... The hospital respected the parents' religious beliefs but did not want to be in a position where it might have to be making such an application in an emergency situation where time would be of the essence ... High Court president Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns granted the hospital an order permitting a transfusion to be given if necessary. ... Here is another example of how Jehovah's Witness parents, under the Watchtower's mind control, would allow their child to die for lack of blood, rather than they transgress the Society's "tradition of men" which it has elevated to a "commandment of God" (Mk 7:7-8 NWT), i.e. "Thou shalt not have a blood transfusion"! The absurdity of the Watchtower's position is that they will now (under legal pressure) allow JWs to receive "certain blood products" but not "not red blood cells"! But this is a reductio ad absurdum ("reduction to the absurd") of the Watchtower's position on blood transfusions.

Clearly the Apostle James, summing up the decision of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:19-21 NWT, ruling that Gentile Christians, to avoid offending Jews, should "abstain ... from blood" was not referring to blood transfusions, let alone distinguishing between "red blood cells" and "certain blood products"!

Jehovah has already revealed what He thinks of parents who sacrifice the lives of their children for religious reasons (my italics):

Lev 18:21 NWT "And you must not allow the devoting [sacrificing] of any of your offspring to [the pagan god] Mo'lech. You must not profane the name of your God that way. I am Jehovah."

Lev 20:1-5 NWT. 1And Jehovah went on speaking to Moses, saying: 2"You are to say to the sons of Israel, `Any man of the sons of Israel, and any alien resident who resides as an alien in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Mo'lech, should be put to death without fail. The people of the land should pelt him to death with stones. 3And as for me, I shall set my face against that man, and I will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Mo'lech for the purpose of defiling my holy place and to profane my holy name. 4And if the people of the land should deliberately hide their eyes from that man when he gives any of his offspring to Mo'lech by not putting him to death, 5then I, for my part, shall certainly fix my face against that man and his family ...

Jer 32:35 NWT. Furthermore, they built the high places of Ba'al that are in the valley of the son of Hin'nom, in order to make their sons and their daughters pass through [the fire] to Mo'lech, a thing that I did not command them, neither did it come up into my heart to do this detestable thing, for the purpose of making Judah sin.'

Note above that not only were the parents who allowed their child to die for religious reasons worthy of death by stoning, but Jehovah was firmly against anyone who turned a blind eye to what the parents had done! The same principle applies to JW parents who allow their children to be sacrificed on the altar of the Watchtower's "tradition of men" prohibiting blood transfusions, and also to those JWs who turn a blind eye to those who do it!

Stephen E. Jones, B.Sc., Grad. Dip. Ed.
My other blogs: CreationEvolutionDesign & The Shroud of Turin