Artificial Blood for Jehovah's Witnesses
Friday, November 18, 2011 at 1:03PM 
Earlier this week, the New Scientist reported a new benchmark in the race to create an artificial substitute for blood. For the first time, some lab-developed blood was safely transplanted into a volunteer. The amount transferred was tiny—about 10 million red blood cells, or 2 milliliters of blood. Nevertheless, this is a remarkable advance because previous attempts to manufacture blood have bumped up against safety concerns.
“The results show that an unlimited blood reserve is in reach,” one researcher tells the New Scientist. Artificial blood would go a long way toward alleviating the perpetual shortages experienced both here and abroad—particularly in countries where blood-borne diseases like HIV/AIDS are more prevalent.
As with recent progress in creating synthetic meat, this advance raises an interesting ethical question: Would Jehovah’s Witnesses, who famously refuse to accept transfusions, permit the medical procedures if the blood came not from a man but from an artificial source? Digital Journal reports that a Jehovah’s Witness in India was able to undergo knee replacement surgery—which typically requires blood transfusions—by submitting to a workaround technique called an auto transfusion. A surgeon tells Digital Journal that in this procedure, a “patient’s blood get collected in a filtered reservoir connected to the replaced knee. This blood is then transfused back to the patient within six hours. This obviates the need for any blood transfusion thus minimizing the risks associated with it.”
Reader Comments (3)
What do you think of this Robert?
This still seems to be real blood to me and would be rejected due to God's commandment on blood.
If scientists came up with an artificial "blood" that was some man made liquid/chemical that did a similar job to blood, then that would probably be acceptable.
It appears to be wholly artificial substance, meaning that there is no blood derivative involved. If that is the case that means there is no life, no soul, involved, which would be acceptable to Jehovah's Witnesses.
It seems to me that the writer of the article is not aware that JW's have been using effective alternatives for decades now and are at the "cutting edge" of medical science. The artificial blood sounds interesting and will perhaps be added to the list of alternatives.