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

[Foudeb]

No, the earliest tests are 2 weeks from exposure.

From what I understand they're not 100% reliable though - in my country you can't give blood if you've had a new sexual partner in the last 4 months or if your regular partner has had any other partners in that time frame, just to be on the safe side.

The blood supplies are low though so they only transfuse people who really need it. It's a choice between certain severe medical consequences if you don't get transfused or taking a very very small, controlled risk if you do. For those of us not in a cult, that's a no-brainer. 

[Rachel333]

There's a documentary on Netflix called How to Survive a Plague about AIDS activists in the early 90's. I really recommend it. I have so much admiration for people who fought tirelessly back then while they and their friends were dying.

I feel like especially as a young gay person I need to know this history. I feel like a lot of young gay people really don't realize how much the older gay population has been through.

Young gay men particularly often don't perceive HIV as enough of a threat and the HIV infection rate is unfortunately still very high among men who have sex with men. HIV is no longer a death sentence, but it's still a very serious illness and requires being on serious medication for the rest of your life. There is very effective medication that can prevent HIV infection, but unfortunately it is fairly stigmatized.

[BabyFullOfSin]

I needed 6 transfusions after the (obviously!) traumatic birth of my daughter a few years ago. I happily took the very very minor risk of contaminated blood over, you know, certain death. Given that being alive is kind of great, I would sure as hell do it again. 

[Jana814]

7 hours ago, BabyFullOfSin said:

I needed 6 transfusions after the (obviously!) traumatic birth of my daughter a few years ago. I happily took the very very minor risk of contaminated blood over, you know, certain death. Given that being alive is kind of great, I would sure as hell do it again. 

Sorry you had to have so many transfusions!!  But glad you accepted the minor risk. 

[August]

On 30 December 2015 at 6:54 PM, Foudeb said:

No, the earliest tests are 2 weeks from exposure.

From what I understand they're not 100% reliable though - in my country you can't give blood if you've had a new sexual partner in the last 4 months or if your regular partner has had any other partners in that time frame, just to be on the safe side.

The blood supplies are low though so they only transfuse people who really need it. It's a choice between certain severe medical consequences if you don't get transfused or taking a very very small, controlled risk if you do. For those of us not in a cult, that's a no-brainer. 

 

On 30 December 2015 at 6:07 PM, 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.

I'm of the age to have gone through puberty at the height of it. I watched the Oprah with Ryan, and there was some Tv movie or documentary about a kid who was on the placebo in the AZT trials.

On 30 December 2015 at 6:54 PM, Foudeb said:

No, the earliest tests are 2 weeks from exposure.

From what I understand they're not 100% reliable though - in my country you can't give blood if you've had a new sexual partner in the last 4 months or if your regular partner has had any other partners in that time frame, just to be on the safe side.

The blood supplies are low though so they only transfuse people who really need it. It's a choice between certain severe medical consequences if you don't get transfused or taking a very very small, controlled risk if you do. For those of us not in a cult, that's a no-brainer. 

Actually, blood transfusions are just needed way less now than they used to be. They have gadgets called cell savers which recycle your blood back to you during surgery. Also, did you know the newborn whole blood flush that a previous poster had is just about the only time whole blood is used?

[PennySycamore]

They don't do whole blood exchanges as much as they used to.  Most mothers who have Rh negative blood with partners/husbands with Rh postive blood get Rhogam shots during pregnancy thus preventing the worst newborn jaundice.  I think, but am not sure, that jaundice due to ABO incompatibility is more of a problem than Rh jaundice now.

[Chach1984i]

On 12/30/2015 at 5:48 AM, Miss Fabulous said:

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.

 

To the bolded - tell them you're disfellowshipped. They'll avoid you like the plague. 

[Miss Fabulous]

1 hour ago, Chach1984i said:

To the bolded - tell them you're disfellowshipped. They'll avoid you like the plague. 

I think my Dad would tell them that we are all about to go to a Birthday Party and we are also going to plan Christmas hahaha

[August]

On 1 January 2016 at 11:22 PM, PennySycamore said:

They don't do whole blood exchanges as much as they used to.  Most mothers who have Rh negative blood with partners/husbands with Rh postive blood get Rhogam shots during pregnancy thus preventing the worst newborn jaundice.  I think, but am not sure, that jaundice due to ABO incompatibility is more of a problem than Rh jaundice now.

ABO incompatibility is normally fairly mild, though. My ABO incompatibility kid was fine. My midwife said that's usually the case.