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Jehovah's Interpretation Of The Watch Tower Society

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Jehovah’s Witness (JW) as a religion originated near Pittsburg, PA in the 1872 and was founded by Charles T. Russell and is based on a literal millennialist interpretation of the Bible. The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society also know as the Watch Tower Society (WTS) was set up by the elders to direct, oversee and develop religious dogma. It acts as the legal organization of the congregation today. It was not until 1945 that the WTS established the doctrine that blood transfusions were not in keeping with the scriptures. The WTS leaders based their decision on the literal interpretation of Bible verses, specifically: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with …show more content…

1) Autonomy/ Self-determination: Respect for an individual’s independent decisions and choices; 2) Beneficence: requires the maximizing of benefits and minimizing of harm; 3) Nonmaleficence: prevent harm and promote health and quality of life; 4) Justice: Unbiased distribution of benefits, risks and costs. In the United States, the law upholds the patient’s autonomy to a greater extent than the other 3 principles. The principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence have used by healthcare workers to justify their ethical stand against JW (Sommerville). Refusal of blood by a surgical, trauma or emergently bleeding patient increases his/her mortality and morbidity as they could suffer a stroke, have a prolonged complicated hospital course or could even die Healthcare providers also have their own individual moral beliefs and values, violation of which can lead to anxieties, stress, guilt and suffering. It has to be kept in mind though, that however irrational one might think the JW doctrine is, a devout JW truly believes that they will forgo eternal salvation upon receiving a blood transfusion. Therefore a JW considers withholding blood as an act of beneficence even when they have to choose death over life.

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