JWs: "AIDS is no threat" because they won't accept blood transfusions

[Coldwinterskies]

The post here about the woman who prayed away a tornado that then went on to kill other people reminded me of recently seeing this gem from an old copy of Jehovahs Witness literature. In trying to convince their followers that they are actually better off refusing blood transfusions for themselves and their own children, I think they come across as outrageously insensitive to the families of children who unfortunately contracted HIV through blood transfusions in the days before HIV screening. But oh well, screw those "worldly" people. Jehovah was going to kill them in Armageddon anyway. 

[FundiesInParis]

Jehovah's Witnesses give me headaches, I have nothing else to say about them. 

[Hane]

Thus confirming my daughter's wisdom in deciding to stop dating an otherwise very nice JW boy.

[Rachel333]

Yeah, fuck them. My aunt married a man who had hemophilia and both he and his brother had many life-saving blood transfusions but unfortunately both ended up contracting and dying of AIDS.

People were and often still are horrible about blaming HIV+ people for their own illness. This is the first I've seen for blood transfusions, though; usually it's people saying that drug users and gay men deserved AIDS. Either way it is absolutely disgusting to use a tragedy like that to further your own hateful agenda.

[enigmata]

25 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

Yeah, fuck them. My aunt married a man who had hemophilia and both he and his brother had many life-saving blood transfusions but unfortunately both ended up contracting and dying of AIDS.

People were and often still are horrible about blaming HIV+ people for their own illness. This is the first I've seen for blood transfusions, though; usually it's people saying that drug users and gay men deserved AIDS. Either way it is absolutely disgusting to use a tragedy like that to further your own hateful agenda.

A lady I go to Church with grew up with a brother who was a haemophiliac.  She knew there was a risk of her being a carrier and so was determined not to have a child.  However, she got pregnant by accident and had a son.  He was, unfortunately, a haemophiliac.

She had mentioned that he had died young and I'd always assumed it was because he'd had an accident but I found out quite recently that he'd actually caught HIV from a blood transfusion and died of AIDS. 

I cannot imagine the horror of being killed by something that is meant to help. This smug attitude makes me sick - they would have allowed their baby to die rather than have a blood transfusion and now seem to be looking down condescendingly at those who did and, tragically, were infected.  Sick.

[SilverBeach]

1 hour ago, Hane said:

Thus confirming my daughter's wisdom in deciding to stop dating an otherwise very nice JW boy.

If they were dating he must have been disfellowshipped.

I abhor smug, speshul snowflake attitudes among religious folk. I am a Christ follower but I am not a speshul snowflake.

[princessmahina]

A JW girl explained to me why they don't believe in blood transfusions. It made no sense then, and it doesn't now either, AIDS aside. And it bugs me that they're so self righteous about other peoples death.

[Foudeb]

Let's have a thought for all the JWs who died when a blood transfusion would have saved them.

And then let's go give blood because it does save lives, and they've been testing donations for AIDS for as long as they realised it was a risk so receiving a donation is as safe as it gets.

There's enough bad things happening out there that we can't help for lack of knowledge or resources. I have no words for the stupidity of those who refuse to get help when it's right there.

[Gemini]

A child having a tiny (if not zero) chance of contracting Aids is worse than a child dying of loss of blood?

Awesome logic there!

[PennySycamore]

I was born with severe Rh jaundice -erythroblastalis fetalis.  If I had not had three complete blood exchanges, I would have died shortly after birth.  I suppose the JWs would find it better for me to have died then than to have lived for almost 61 years due to those transfusions. 

[Dandruff]

Wonder how many deaths those concerned parents helped encourage.

[Jana814]

I can't figure out Jehovah Witnesses either. Of all the things that they don't agree with the blood transfusions is the one thing that bothers me the most because it is known that blood transfusions save lives. 

[Miss Fabulous]

JW's don't believe in anything and the only downside to having inside Dogs - I cannot avoid them at all.

If all those twits want to do is give me a leaflet, fine (not that I read them anyway). If they want to shove their bibles down my throat in my house, then I have a problem.

This lady who used to work with my Dad is one and she never participated in any Christmas or birthday events whatsoever. As long as she didn't shove her religious crap down anyone's gobs, she was fine (there is a reason for the Google search engine).

I first became aware of this "Religion" when I was in Grade 9. We were supposed to do a mock kids Birthday Party in Home Economics and we were not allowed to because this classmate of mine turned out to be a JW (she was a nice person though). In the end, the Teacher suggested that we do a mock Pre-School break-up instead. My JW classmate wasn't allowed to continue school beyond Grade 10 sadly.

A Cousin of a friend of mine was in Grade 1 at the time and one day came home from school in tears after being told in class by her Teacher that Santa Claus was not real and boy was her Mother (my friend's Auntie) fuming. They later found out that the teacher was a JW but that's not a nice thing to say.

 

[Jana814]

I have mentioned this on many occasions that I have an ex-friend that is now a JW. I haven't seen her in 9 years, I'm not surprised that she is one. It wouldn't surprise me if her mother is one now also.   

[Dollypeeps]

They may not believe in Christmas but ffs don't bring em round the doors on Christmas Day give em a break. It's been freezing cold and to add to that the rain and they are going door to door. 

As for we are free from AIDS lovely thinking NOT arseholes. I've had relatives that have died due to aid related diseases before screening too. The bloody stigma surrounding it was outstandingly disgusting. 

[Cleopatra7]

This is religious smuggery of the worst kind (is smuggery a word? It should be). Do JWs think all of the hemophiliac children who died of AIDS got what was coming to them for "eating blood"? That's the tone I got from this article.

Also can anyone with more knowledge of JWs tell me if it is permissible for them to eat rare meat? It seems to me that if they really believe in "not eating blood," then they should either eat kosher meat or be vegetarian, but a former JW told me that many of them still like their bloody steaks.

[pamplemousse]

1 hour ago, Cleopatra7 said:

Also can anyone with more knowledge of JWs tell me if it is permissible for them to eat rare meat? It seems to me that if they really believe in "not eating blood," then they should either eat kosher meat or be vegetarian, but a former JW told me that many of them still like their bloody steaks.

One of my friends in high school was a JW. Another friend had dinner with the JW's family and was served meat that was very well-done and dry.  Whether that was because of religious beliefs (note: I don't know if JWs avoid rare meat) or because the cook just plain overcooked it, I don't know.

[Hane]

Back in the early days of the AIDS epidemic, it was considered a "gay" or "Haitian" disease. Even the Red Cross backed away from tying HIV transmission to blood transfusions (which, at the time, I thought was outrageously stupid). In a PBS special, a hemophiliac AIDS sufferer said he and his family got far more support from the gay community (which did not live in denial) than from the hemophiliac community.

[lawlifelgbt]

Honestly, from my perspective, becoming HIV+ from a transfusion is less risky than refusing to take the transfusion in all circumstances. Of course, I am living in the now, in a state with probably the best hospital in the world, and knowing several HIV+ people. I actually view it like diabetes. Sure, it's serious and could cause really bad problems if not treated, but if you treat it, you can probably live normally.

But I'm too young to remember the AIDS crisis. Things were different then.

[anjulibai]

I dated a JW when I was in college. His family was great, and I kind of take some satisifaction that I might have helped in the push away from the religion (certainly did with the ex). I check up on them now and then on Facebook, and they are pretty much not involved at all. Ex's brother is even married to a man and there are lots of happy family pics of the couple with their parents. 

They tried to explain the blood stuff to me a few times, but it was just nonsense. I don't think the HIV thing was ever brought up, though. Even by that point (early 2000s), the risk of infection through transmission had become incredibly low because of how well the blood supply is tested. It's pretty much a zero risk. So, they were focusing on other things like the sacredness of blood and transmitting personal traits or something. I just rolled my eyes and told them if it ever came to it, I'd want a blood transfusion. 

[Hane]

38 minutes ago, lawlifelgbt said:

Honestly, from my perspective, becoming HIV+ from a transfusion is less risky than refusing to take the transfusion in all circumstances. Of course, I am living in the now, in a state with probably the best hospital in the world, and knowing several HIV+ people. I actually view it like diabetes. Sure, it's serious and could cause really bad problems if not treated, but if you treat it, you can probably live normally.

But I'm too young to remember the AIDS crisis. Things were different then.

What an enormous difference a few decades have made! In much of the industrialized world, HiV/AIDS is now considered a manageable chronic illness instead of a death sentence.

Back in the early '90s, though, it took the lives of two dear friends of mine.

[lawlifelgbt]

Just now, Hane said:

What an enormous difference a few decades have made! In much of the industrialized world, HiV/AIDS is considered a manageable chronic illness. 

Back in the early '90s, though, it took the lives of two dear friends of mine.

I'm sorry about your friends. I was a baby/toddler during the the early 90s, and by elementary school when I heard it mentioned first, it was still "this is a serious illness but the person may be able to go to school or work for a while with it, so don't be a dick, and you can't get it from hugging or sharing food."

[Hane]

12 minutes ago, lawlifelgbt said:

I'm sorry about your friends. I was a baby/toddler during the the early 90s, and by elementary school when I heard it mentioned first, it was still "this is a serious illness but the person may be able to go to school or work for a while with it, so don't be a dick, and you can't get it from hugging or sharing food."

My friend teaches middle school. Her students had no idea what a red HIV/AIDS awareness ribbon was. When she told them about the AIDS epidemic and the hysteria accompanying it, they were appalled that people could be so ignorant.

[DaisyD]

I'm old enough to have watched The Ryan White Story in elementary school. Philadelphia came out a few years later. HIV/AIDS was a huge part of our sex ed program. It was a big deal. Does it still take 6 months to a year from exposure to a positive test? That's what it was back then.

[Jana814]

32 minutes ago, daisyd681 said:

I'm old enough to have watched The Ryan White Story in elementary school. Philadelphia came out a few years later. HIV/AIDS was a huge part of our sex ed program. It was a big deal. Does it still take 6 months to a year from exposure to a positive test? That's what it was back then.

We are probably around the same age. I remember learning about Ryan White in elementary school also.