AIBU to want JW leaders to be held accountable for blood transfusion deaths.

People signed up for this cult knowing the terms and conditions.
Sorry the onus is on them.

@CorporalJohntheir children didn’t understand the terms and conditions or agree to them.

This could go either way for them.
On one hand, the blood issue has been a major stumbling block for the general public. By removing this, will now make them more mainstream and could potentially bring in more converts.
On the other hand, it's an almighty blow for those who have lost loved ones due to refusing blood prior to 18th Sept 2026 and the sudden "New Light"
Many could wake up and leave

Doctors will overrule the wishes of parents. With a court order if necessary

People who feel their relatives have died through being coerced could take legal action. Otherwise I'm not sure it's something the state could get involved in further than it currently does to protect children. When you start legislating around religious practices you open up a huge can of worms. Should we have laws to prevent children being frightened by the idea of hell? Should we prevent people being lied to about how the world came about? What about women 'indoctrinated' to believe they must continue pregnancies they don't want?

I have a feeling this is going to be the straw that broke the camels back for a huge chunk of rank & file Witnesses. Once they recover from the whiplash they’re going to realise just how profound this move is and how many people needlessly died.

Younger ones who use social media will definitely see discourse around this and I sincerely hope (yes YOU if any are reading this comment) I hope that you understand how deeply destructive the organisation is.

The World really isn’t the demon infested hellscape the Governing Body want you to think it is. Get out and start living your life now because the longer you leave it the heavier the regret will be.

Anyone joining Jehovahs Witnesses in 2026 with all the widely available content on how truly insidious their teachings and practices are should seek help from their GP. There’s a reason young JWs leave in droves as soon as they can.

Religious leaders and their stupid beliefs cause death and misery every day of the week and have done for centuries.

Surely there's more mileage in concentrating efforts on raising awareness of coercive control and preventing future harm to children unlucky enough to be born into cults?

Very ignorant comment completely ignoring the grooming aspect of the organisation, much of which starts at a young age, and the harmful shunning practices that occur. Also, many geenagers have historically died as a result of this policy.

I left in my teens, I think my congregation must have been a lenient one because I was never shunned nor was my family. My parents will accept this as as a new directive and the previous deaths will be explained away in their heads as they will all meet in paradise anyway. It is a cult without a doubt but most of them are just rule followers it’s the ones at the top that are evil

Not in every case, and this certainly hasn't been the case historically especially in the USA, where the religion stems from. A 15 year old boy died in the UK 16 years ago because he would not have blood. In any case, the governing body should apologise and acknowledge the harm their policy has done, but they will never do that.

I didnt sign up for it. I was 2 years old when my parents joined. Yes, I got out age 20. Many who get out are completely shunned by their family and everyone they know. These are often young teens who end up homeless and worse.
Its not that black and white.

Remind me, when did the Church of England apologise for its role in, and profiteering from, the slave trade? About 20 years ago wasn't it?

Toxic abusive bullying cult

wonder why they have done this - it won’t be for the love of their members in general

The grooming and lovebombing techniques used by our local hall are really insidious. Ive had a friend become a convert, happened during after Covid when he lost both his parents. He was alone and looking for answers. He went to one meeting and suddenly he was doing something every night of the week with his new ‘friends’. They didn’t leave him for even one day without an invite to something.

I had a school friend who's mother was JW. My friend was kicked out of the house at 15 because she refused to go house to house any more and she lived with a friend's family after that. Any religion that encourages you to reject your own chid is evil in my opinion.

Does anyone know why JW reject blood transfusions? What is the religious justification for it? I had a blood transfusion after a post partum haemorrhage, I would have died without it!

So why don't you expect the JW leadership to apologise for the numerous revoking of teachings that have proved to be extremely harmful, even resulting in their death? Why shouldn't they apologise for the cover up of historic child abuse, and the millions they have had to pay in lawsuits to victims? Even the Catholic Church has managed to acknowledge that.

The scripture in Acts 15:29 states to 'abstain from blood'. They interpret that as meaning to abstain from blood in the form of transfusions.

But now after careful consideration and prayer, it no longer means that

And I think it’s a strange thing NOT to worry that religions are allowed to brainwash children into believing harmful things. Imagine if schools were allowed to teach this as fact. Well they are when they’re “faith” schools.

it’s also not all that easy to overcome childhood indoctrination and it certainly doesn’t end the moment someone turns 18.

I mean, if childhood indoctrination didn’t work, religions and sects wouldn’t be nearly so keen on controlling children’s education!

Ah thank you! That sounds like a quite literal interpretation, do they avoid meat that presumably has some blood in, I wonder?