| A SOFTENING of the Watch Tower Society’s
iron hard rule on not to accept blood transfusions threatens
to split the organisation.
It is reported that the society is keeping
recent changes, which allows Bulgarian Witnesses to accept
blood without fear of disfellowshipping, away from its members
in other countries, so to avoid upsetting them.
In Denmark, the Jehovah's
Witnesses have worked hard for their right to refuse blood
transfusions. It has become a uniting sign of their identity
that is now under threat.
The Bulgarian fall has
had ripple effects in Denmark, but the Witness leaders have
until now kept information about what has happened from the
Danish members.
We have chosen to not inform
the members, since this case does not add anything new, explains
the Danish Witnesses' information secretary Michael Björk. |
Björk says that the members who accept blood
once are no longer automatically expelled:
On the contrary they need spiritual guidance, says Björk.
Sören Bo Henriksen,
leader of the support group for former Jehovah's Witnesses,
on the other hand hopes this softening for the Bulgarian
witnesses also will spread quickly to Denmark, that angry
members force their leaders to abolish the transfusion ban.
Lodberg also believes that the Bulgarian example will spread
to Denmark.
The latest death in Denmark
was a 24 year old woman at the hospital in Hvidovre, when
she refused blood when giving birth in October 1996.
However, the prohibition
has no doubt been most controversial when parents have tried
to prevent their underage children from receiving blood transfusions.
In Sweden, social authorities have intervened to make sure
that children who need it receive blood.
Source – "The Associated Jehovah's Witnesses for Reform on
Blood" |
