Organ Transplants

For the Jehovah’s Witnesses, organ transplants were not an option, at least not between the years of 1967 through 1980.

The Watchtower, November 15, 1967 “Humans were allowed by god to keep animal flash and to sustain their human lives by taking the lives of animals, though they were not permitted to eat blood. Did this including human flesh, sustaining one’s life by means of the body or part of the body of another human, alive or dead? No! That would be cannibalism, a practice at the abhorrent to all civilized people… when there is a disease or defect of Oregon, than usual way health is restored is by taking in nutrients. The body and uses food eaten to repair or he’ll do work and, gradually replacing the cells. Women of science conclude that this normal process will no longer work and they suggest we moving the organ and replacing it directly with an organ from another human, this is simply a shortcut. Those who submit to such operations are thus living to off the flash of another human. That is cannibalistic.”

Awake!, June 8, 1968 “There are those, such as Christian Witnesses of Jehovah, who consider all transplants between humans as cannibalism”

The Watchtower, Mar. 15, 1980 “Regarding the transplantation of human tissue or bone from one human to another, this is a matter for conscientious decision by each one of Jehovah’s witnesses. Some Christians might feel that taking into their bodies in each issue or body part from another human base cannibalistic … Other sincere Christians today may feel that the Bible does not definitely ruled out medical transplants up human organs.

They may reason that in some cases the human material is not expected to become a permanent part of the recipient’s body. Body cells are said to be replaced about every seven years, and this would be true of any human body parts that would be transplanted. It may be argued, too, that organ transplants are different from cannibalism since the “donor” is not killed to supply food … while the Bible specifically forbids consuming blood, there is no Biblical command pointedly forbidding of the taking and of other human tissue.

So for thirteen years the Jehovah’s witnesses risked their lives by obeying what was taught them by the Watchtower. How many people went blind rather than getting a cornea transplant because of his teaching? How many people died Instead of getting a kidney, lung or liver transplant? Let me ask you, how wise would it be to trust your own spiritual well being to an organization that has misrepresented God’s law in such a life and death matters? Would you place you’re eternity in their hands?