Blood transfusion: Yes, but under certain conditions and with precautions

Labas rytas saved! Hello healing! GOD watches over you. Remain in truth, faith, and love.

1. What the Bible says: love your neighbor, give your life, and do not eat blood

2. What science says: benefits, dangers, and alternatives

3. What I think: yes, but under certain conditions and with precautions

❖ (Matthew 22:37-40 French KJV): "JESUS replied, 'You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.'"

❖ (John 15:12-13, NKJV): "This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

❖ (Leviticus 17:10-14, NIV): "10 If any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a being is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I have said to the Israelites, 'None of you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood. 13 If any Israelite or any stranger sojourning among them hunts an animal or a bird that may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust. 14 For the life of every creature is its blood, which is in it. Therefore I have said to the Israelites, 'You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.'"

1. What the Bible says: love your neighbor, give your life, and do not eat blood

The two greatest commandments in the Bible are to love GOD and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). Loving your neighbor as yourself means treating them with dignity, respecting them, and wishing them well as you would yourself. This implies being willing to do good to them and doing so to the best of your ability. Loving your neighbor more than yourself will make you dependent on their opinion. Loving them less than yourself will lead you to despise them and willingly cause them harm.

Loving your neighbor is proof that we love ourselves and that we love GOD. Those who truly love love GOD, love themselves, and love their neighbor. We can only give what we have. Love has its source and its fulfillment in GOD. For GOD is Love and Truth from the beginning and for eternity. He is the first to love. Receiving His love leads us to love ourselves and enables us to love our neighbor. We realize that, like us, he or she is a wonderful creature created by GOD.

JESUS asks us to love one another as He has loved us (John 15:13). He says that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for others (John 15:13). He asks us to do as He did, out of love and to the best of our ability. To give one's life is to give of oneself. It is to devote part of one's life to something other than oneself. It is to risk one's life for others.

GOD tells us that life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). Life is spiritual before it is physical (Genesis 1:27-30, Job 32:8, John 3:3-7, John 1:12-13, Ephesians 2:1). We are living spirits in physical bodies (see the Spirit and Soul series). The new birth is spiritual and not physical (John 3:3-5, 1 Corinthians 15:45). GOD created the spirits of Adam and Eve before forming their bodies (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:7, Spirit and Soul: The Beginning). 

JESUS is the perfect example. He already existed before the HOLY SPIRIT formed a physical body for him (see the article JESUS CHRIST: eternal, angel of the LORD, and GOD the LORD). He was already the son of GOD. He gave his life, his blood, for us. For more than 2,000 years, his blood has been speaking (John 1:7-9, Hebrews 12:24, Hebrews 9:14, Hebrews 10:22). He rose again. His blood was shed only once, but it speaks in our favor eternally. Spiritually and physically, there is no life beyond that of JESUS (Colossians 2:9-10, Philippians 2:9, Ephesians 1:20-21, Hebrews 12:24). He is the fulfillment of love, truth, and justice.

Since life is both spiritual and physical, receiving a person's blood means receiving a part of their life. Either we receive a part of their physical life, or we receive a part of their spiritual life, or we receive a part of both. It is therefore possible to expose ourselves to a blessing or a curse if we receive a blood transfusion. This is not a matter of opinion. Either you read your Bible, or you don't.

GOD forbids us to eat (consume) blood (Leviticus 17:10-14, Genesis 9:4, Deuteronomy 12:23-25, Acts 15:20). He says so in both the Old and New Testaments. It is forbidden to make blood into food. He clearly states the blood of no creature. Consuming blood dishonors GOD, disobeys GOD, and exposes us to dangers (curses and diseases).

It is clearly written to eat and not to give. Nowhere in the Bible is it forbidden to give blood to save others. Quite the contrary. We are called to give ourselves for others. We are called to be inspired by JESUS. Giving blood to save someone is a proof of love. Those who give blood offer a part of their life to save their neighbor. It is a way of obeying the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-40, John 15:12-13). We all agree that a soldier who defends his country, a firefighter who extinguishes fires and saves lives, a police officer who is shot while on duty, gives his life for others. Whether they live or die in the line of duty, we recognize that they are giving or have given their lives for others. As far as I am concerned, the same is true for those who give their blood. 

2. What science says: benefits, risks, and alternatives

Blood transfusion is a medical treatment that involves injecting blood, one of its components, and/or blood derivatives intravenously. These include red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Blood is composed of plasma and blood cells.

Plasma is the liquid that contains blood cells and clotting factors. Its roles are:

• transporting these elements to all tissues in the body,

• maintaining blood pressure,

• regulating the water content of tissues.

  
  

Plasma transfusions are sometimes necessary for:

• People in intensive care who are being treated by restoring blood volume.

• People with hemophilia (whose blood does not clot), immune deficiencies, or certain autoimmune diseases. 

• People with bleeding disorders, certain cancers, or certain liver diseases.

  
  

Blood cells are produced by the bone marrow. They are:

• red blood cells, or erythrocytes, which contain hemoglobin used to transport oxygen;

• white blood cells or leukocytes, which defend the body against infection;

• platelets, which help the blood to clot in the event of bleeding. 

Red blood cell transfusions are necessary in cases of severe anemia that the body cannot tolerate. Without a transfusion, the patient may die or suffer serious consequences (irreversible brain damage, heart attack, etc.).

Anemia is a decrease in the level of red blood cells (with hemoglobin below normal values). Either the bone marrow does not produce enough of them, or they are destroyed in the body, or they are lost due to blood loss (e.g., hemorrhage, accident, surgery, etc.). Iron deficiency anemia is linked to a lack of iron or poor iron utilization by the body. Iron deficiency causes a decrease in hemoglobin production in the bone marrow.

Platelet transfusions are necessary in cases of thrombocytopenia (abnormal decrease in platelet count). Thrombocytopenia can be observed or anticipated. Either:

• The bone marrow no longer produces enough platelets (e.g., cancer, chemotherapy).

• A disease destroys or affects platelets after they are produced, when they are circulating in the blood (examples: HIV, hepatitis B).

Transfusions carry risks, especially for the recipient: allergic reactions, bacterial and viral infections, fever and chills, transfusion of too much blood, incompatible blood types.

Donor blood is tested before being collected and transfused. However, there is no such thing as zero risk. Furthermore, not all countries are on the same level. Neither are all hospitals. There are countries where blood transfusions have wreaked havoc. People have received blood transfusions containing the HIV virus. In countries where transfusions are permitted, doctors must obtain the consent of the patient (parents or persons designated by the patient) before the transfusion. 

Not everyone can be a blood donor. A recipient cannot receive blood from just any donor.  Several criteria must be met. From a medical  point of view, blood transfusion is a treatment. It is not a prescription that doctors give to those who do not want to swallow bitter pills. 

To date, the alternative to blood transfusion is iron infusion, often supplemented by the injection of a hormone to stimulate the bone marrow cells that produce red blood cells. A preventive alternative is to take iron supplements. Unfortunately, these alternatives are not sufficient, possible, or accessible in all cases.  

3. My opinion: yes, but with conditions and precautions

Everyone is free to decide whether to give or receive a blood transfusion based on their understanding, convictions, and specific guidance from the LORD. My goal is not to convince you or tell you what to do. It is to give you information so that you can make choices based on the truth. "Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

Some people say that GOD forbids blood transfusions. This is completely false! What GOD forbids is consuming blood as food. Giving blood to a sick person is not feeding them, but performing an act of love for your neighbor in the image of what JESUS did. Blood transfusions save lives. 

That said, it is not something to be taken lightly, either for the donor or, even more so, for the recipient. Not all blood is safe to receive. There is no such thing as zero risk. The recipient may be exposed to contamination or physical and spiritual side effects. That is why I say yes, but with conditions and precautions.

Conditions:

• After an alternative to blood transfusion has been considered or, if possible, tried.

• That the donor and recipient act according to their personal convictions and/or those received from GOD.

Precautions:

• Pray invoking the blood of JESUS. Pray in tongues. Take the Lord's Supper with faith. It does not matter if the donor or recipient is a family member or close relative.

• If possible, find out if you can be a donor for a family member (spouse, parent, child, brother, sister).

• As much as possible, take iron supplements to prevent iron deficiency. Example: if you know you will be undergoing surgery in a few weeks, add iron supplements to your diet according to the instructions.

** Labas rytas = Good morning in Lithuanian