Adam, Steph and Louise talk to Simon Endeacott who has done some research on the shocking reversal of the strict prohibition on Jehovah's Witnesses taking a blood transfusion. While JWs still claim to refuse 'whole blood' we discuss what this actually means and you may be surprised to learn that there are hardly ever any times when whole blood is given, and that this claim is essentially a smoke screen for the fact that what are accepted as blood transfusions are in fact a transfusion of one of the fractions now permitted.
We also discuss the role of the Hospital Liaison Committees now, with some difference of opinion on their previous usefulness, whether JWs still need blood cards, whether in fact most JWs will continue to refuse blood out of ignorance of their own doctrine, any why this doctrinal change may in fact continue to be the cause of deaths in middle and low income countries.