A Point of Contention: The Scriptural Basis for the Jehovah's Witnesses' Refusal of Blood Transfusions

Spencer, J. R.

doi:10.1076/chbi.8.1.63.8761

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…(a) The author’s research tool measuring attitudes towards health and disease. The instrument was developed during two stages: an analysis of the literature on the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses and research into health behaviours and the impact of religion on health [ 2 , 10 , 27 , 28 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]; and consultation with two Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding their views on health, disease and medical care issues. The questionnaire consists of 65 questions in total and is divided into the following sections: sociodemographic characteristics; the attitudes of Jehovah’s Witnesses to health, disease and death; the use of stimulants; the attitudes of Jehovah’s Witnesses on selected medical procedures; the expectations of Jehovah’s Witnesses towards medical personnel.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religiosity and Attitudes towards Health, Disease, Death and the Use of Stimulants among Jehovah’s Witnesses

Jakubowska

Chruściel

Jurek

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Religiosity is considered as one of the many factors shaping an individual’s health consciousness. The aim of the study is an analysis of the correlation between the religiosity of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their attitudes towards health and disease. A cross-sectional study was performed on the convenience sample of 171 Jehovah’s Witnesses from eastern Poland with the use of two research tools: the author’s questionnaire, focusing on attitudes towards health, disease, death and the use of stimulants, and the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL). The research involved 99 females (57.9%) and 72 males (42.1%), with an average age of 37.25 (SD = 12.59) years. On average, they have been a Jehovah’s Witness for 29.21 (SD = 13.22) years and are characterised by a high ratio of organisational religious activity (ORA) (M = 5.60; SD = 0.62) and intrinsic religiosity (IR) (M = 4.81; SD = 0.37). Those who had never smoked before becoming one of Jehovah’s Witnesses had a higher IR (Z = −2.822; p = 0.005), similarly to those respondents who smoked cigarettes before they became Jehovah’s Witnesses (Z = −2.977; p = 0.003) and those who did not abuse alcohol before they became Jehovah’s Witnesses (Z= −1.974; p = 0.048). Jehovah’s Witnesses are a group characterised by a high degree of consistency when it comes to religiosity, attitudes regarding health and disease and health behaviours. This means that they follow the teachings of their religion with regard to health issues. Knowledge about the association between religiosity and health behaviours is important to provide effective health education, health promotion and development of health prevention policy, specifically when dealing with more religious groups of clients.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religiosity and Attitudes towards Health, Disease, Death and the Use of Stimulants among Jehovah’s Witnesses

Jakubowska

Chruściel

Jurek

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Oczekują terapii z poszanowaniem prawa do autonomii pacjenta, są również otwarci na wymianę poglądów i współpracę z zespołem szpitalnym. W ciężkich przypadkach zdarza się, że niektórzy, odwołując się do własnego sumienia, ostatecznie godzą się na zastosowanie własnej krwi, pod warunkiem, że nie utraci ona łączności z krwioobiegiem [4].…”

Section: Opinie Pielęgniarek Pediatrycznych Wobec Odmowy śWiadków Jehunclassified

“…They are also open to exchange of views and cooperation with the hospital team. In severe cases it happens that some of them, referring to their own conscience, ultimately agree to use their own blood, providing that it does not lose communication with the bloodstream [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opinions of pediatric nurses about Jehovah’s Witnesses refusal of blood transfusion for their child

Jakubowska

Kuczek

Wiśniewska

et al. 2018

Pielegniarstwo XXI Wieku / Nursing in the 21st Century

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Introduction. Jehovah’s Witnesses absolutely refuse having blood transfusion performed. The situation is even more difficult when the refusal of blood transfusion concerns a child. Despite existing legal solutions, medical staff experiences value conflicts. Aim. To analyze the opinions of pediatric nurses about problems that may arise in case of Jehovah’s Witnesses refusal of blood transfusion for their child. Material and methods. Quantitative research was based on a diagnostic survey method. The variables were measured with the use of a survey questionnaire co-developed by the authors. A group of 104 pediatric nurses from the South-East Poland participated in the study. Results. To the question “Have you ever encountered the situation throughout all your working career when parents refused their child to undergo a blood treatment due to their beliefs?”, 67.31% (n = 70) of the respondents replied the situation rarely happened. Half of the nurses surveyed (n = 52, 50.02%) admitted they did not accept the position of Jehovah’s Witnesses concerning blood treatment. Most of the nurses surveyed – 87.38% (n = 89) think the existence of procedures on how to proceed in this difficult situation is crucial, and 83% (n = 86) of the respondents admitted that there was no better solution than the already existing legal procedure. Conclusions. The most difficult experience of pediatric nurses in the situation of Jehovah’s Witnesses refusal of blood transfusion for their child is in the opinion of surveyed nurses, endangering the child’s health or even life. Thus, most of the respondents agree that the best solution in that case is to implement a legal procedure that allows blood transfusion despite parents’ refusal.

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“…One of the central beliefs adopted by JWs is their refusal to accept allogenic blood transfusions, even in cases in which the outcome may be death [ 15 – 21 ]. While JWs argue that there are also some medical grounds for refusing blood, this refusal is based on religious grounds and is the result of their interpretation of several verses in the Bible ( Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23; Acts 15:28–29) [ 22 ]. JWs therefore refuse transfusions of whole blood (including pre-operative autologous donation, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural competences among future nurses and midwives: a case of attitudes toward Jehovah’s witnesses’ stance on blood transfusion

Domaradzki,

Głodowska,

Doron

et al. 2024

BMC Med Educ

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Background Transcultural nursing recognises the significance of cultural backgrounds in providing patients with quality care. This study investigates the opinions of master’s students in nursing and midwifery regarding the attitudes of Jehovah’s Witnesses towards refusing blood transfusions. Methods 349 master’s students in nursing and midwifery participated in a quantitative study and were surveyed via the Web to evaluate their awareness of the stance of Jehovah’s Witnesses on blood transfusions and the ethical and legal dilemmas associated with caring for Jehovah’s Witness (JW) patients. Results The study yielded three significant findings. It unequivocally demonstrates that nursing and midwifery students possess inadequate knowledge regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses’ stance on blood transfusions and their acceptance of specific blood products and medical procedures. Despite being cognisant of the ethical and legal dilemmas of caring for JW patients, students lack an understanding of patients’ autonomy to reject blood transfusions and their need for bloodless medicine. Students also articulated educational needs regarding cultural competencies regarding the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs on blood transfusions and non-blood management techniques. Conclusions Healthcare professionals need the knowledge and skills necessary to provide holistic, patient-centred and culturally sensitive care. This study emphasises the urgent need for university curricula and nursing postgraduate training to include modules on transcultural nursing and strategies for minimising blood loss.

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A Point of Contention: The Scriptural Basis for the Jehovah's Witnesses' Refusal of Blood Transfusions

Cited by 5 publications

References 37 publications

Religiosity and Attitudes towards Health, Disease, Death and the Use of Stimulants among Jehovah’s Witnesses

Religiosity and Attitudes towards Health, Disease, Death and the Use of Stimulants among Jehovah’s Witnesses

Opinions of pediatric nurses about Jehovah’s Witnesses refusal of blood transfusion for their child

Cultural competences among future nurses and midwives: a case of attitudes toward Jehovah’s witnesses’ stance on blood transfusion

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