JW mother refuses blood transfusion and dies leaving newborn twins

[WendyWeber]

report

"We can't believe she died after childbirth in this day and age, with all the technology there is."

They all share the responsibility for her death - her family, his family, the church, all of them. Can they really believe they all did the right thing?

How tragic Those poor babies, growing up without their mummy.

I can never understand this logic, what a tragic waste of a young life - and for what? The hospital could have saved her, she could now be home cuddling her little babies, feeding them, caring for them. Instead, in the name of religion, she is dead and those children have no mum and the man no wife. Why would religion be more important than caring for your babies? Why? Where is the logic in that?

Why should you want to reason with them?
Why is their religion any less valid than yours?

Just wanted to comment on the blood less surgery argument, it does have its place and is used widely,but in a planned operation when there is time to have things available that is fine, an emergency such as this when it is life or death in seconds is not the same thing at all, it is also worth remembering that the blood collected and re transfused is of a poorer quality as it is generally diluted by fluids and therefore doesn't have the same haemoglobin levels as a unit of packed red cells.
I would be suprised if a surgeon would advocate the use of recycled blood in every situation regardless of the nature, I would imagine they would use donated blood additionally if bleeding was severe enough.
This story is just plain sad, I wonder if they could have the time again wether they would have made the same decisions. Sadly we will never now know if the mum would have.

kkk, how rude. what makes you think you've got all the answers?

in response to your comment layla, when a JW woman is expecting a baby and particularly twins, it is usual practice for hospitals nowadays to have plans in place, in fact there are government guidelines as i said earlier because i was shown them when i had my dd.

i realise about the haemoglobin levels but the way it was explained to me was that not only is it disease free, your body in the wonderful way it is made makes up the levels in time anyway, the government are having to look into otherways other than donated blood because they do not have the supplies that they used to have and it is very costly.

Jenk yes your body would recover its own haenoglobin in time of course but if someone is bleeding out faster than it can be put in then haemoglobin is absolutely necessary to prevent organ failure. If blood is being recirculated this level will undoubtedly be compromised.
While i understand what you are saying about systems being in place for this to happen when JW are in hospital what if there is more than one person needing at the time? It is quite possible in a large hospital, there is no time to wait for it to be free again.

Jenk

There are many women who would be alive today and children who would not have lost their mothers so early in life if the NHS had made available exactly the right clinical staff at exactly the right time.

This is not exclusively a JW problem.

NHS staff are juggling balls constantly. Criticising them when, because of this lady's beliefs, the staff were asked to juggle with an extra ball or two thrown in could be taken as being a bit blinkered/one sided in your viewpoint.

It IS a terrible thing that has happened but all of you out there that are just slating Jehovah's witnesses believes need to look into what they ACTUALLY believe in, NOT just parts that have been picked up and twisted to make them sound strange.

OK what do they actually believe in then? Where does it say in black and white that receiving blood into your body is a sin? I'm afraid that this part of their belief hasn't been twisted AFAIK this is what they believe, a woman has just lost her life because of it, that is plain fact.
I think that people can believe what they choose as long as I don't have to believe in it aswell, live and let live, but this belief has led to death in this case, that , in my opinion, is not a sound belief.

What type of religion advoctes that a young mother should die and leave behind her newborn twins and dh.
Its absurd imo, religion before life and love of your newborn babies is just stupidity.

Those poor los`s havnt chosen any religion, they have had no choice in the fact that their birth has brought about their mothers death - how awful is that for them to grow up with. They now have to suffer and for the rest of their lives all in the name of reigion.

Its so sad.
Its ridiculous.
Its just utterly crazy!

fedupwasherwoman, i was not intending to criticise the nhs, i was telling the story of my friend who died and in the court case it WAS the nhs who were responsible, i was trying to show that newspaper headlines about mad JW,s dying because of refusing a blood transfusion is not always the case.

and yes if i am coming across as a bit blinkered/one sided then can you blame me with the sort of comments that have been posted this morning?

The hospital should have flagged up her status as a JW because of the implications in case something went wrong, and should have had a plan in place. They did not. In that, they failed her.

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/global/

hekate, you are absolutely right

nothing more to add really, except highlander & KKK have made very judgemental and nasty comments.

as nonametoday has said, a massive PPH is sometimes fatal anyway, even with the right treatment given swiftly

thoughts with the widower and the babies

Re: hospital at fault v jw at fault.

As you all have said their are options and or plans that can be put in place for jw`s with regards to blood loss, recycled blood being one of them.
But if her blood loss was that significant, then she would not have benefitted from the recycled blood anyway, ie plan in place but was not sufficient.

Im sure the jw`s were informed of the risks of their choices, and the possible worst outcome that could occur.

I think its a crazy ludicrous ruling within their religion that allows these types of risks or actually enforces these types of risks. How can it be possibly justified within their reigion?

haychee, thats obviously why you dont belong to the religion. Leave them to their believes

I used to work with someone whose daughter had become a JW when she got married. He was terrified something like this would happen to her or his grandchildren.....

Some very strange comments about JW on this thread. Some people need to read up more before they post a lot of gobbidlegook.

Very sad to read about the family concerned.

positivelymellow, that was exactly the point i was trying to make earlier! thanks!

mad4mybaby

But those poor lo`s have had no choice in this. They have been concieved and brought into a world with no mother.
They will learn about it as the get older and how thier birth brought about their own mothers death and how it was unavoidable!

I will and do leave them to their beliefs, but they will knock on my door on a sunday afternoon trying to convince me i should be one of them.

Then you can kindly say thanks but no thanks.

How very tragic

So we should always leave everyone to their beliefs whatever they are?
Some people in the world believe children are possessed with devil and kill them as a means to cleanse them, some people believe that they must blow themselves and everyove else up with bombs, their beliefs are no less valid if taken down to their roots but should they be tolerated?
The mention of blood in the Bible alongside not touching things sacrificed to idols may have been appropiriate 4000yrs ago but in 2007?Interesting that it doesn't say if you did do these things you should be excommunicated from your friends and family either ( or maybe be the Times is taking things out of context too?)

Oh i do say thanks but no thanks.

But what gives them the right to disturb people at home like this? I dont go round to them saying your all crazy, you should be like me.

My thought are still of the lo`s left behind. What will happen to them if something happens to the dh? Will he too refuse blood if needed for him, will those poor dc get left alone with noone?

Their religion in my eyes is just a joke, because it has allowed them to be born into a motherless world. Its just wrong.