Should "Religious Bigots" Have Rights Over Us?

This was an interesting question posed in an editorial in a British Paper over the weekend. As it specifically mentioned Jehovah's Witnesses, I took notice, and I think it made an interesting point.

Should a Witness's "right" to refuse a blood transfusion for their children in a medical emergency be respected in the name of "religious tolerance"? Likewise, when it comes to a Christian Science family, should their "right" to refuse medical treatment entirely for their child, regardless of the circumstance, be respected?

There are a couple of things that bother me about that question. They are things that would only bother me as a person that has experienced aspects of the religion first hand. As a parent, and as a member of the ACLU, my instinctual thought is to say, "Yes, it is their Constitutional, First Amendment right to practice their religion as it is established, and to raise their child in it".

In November of 1991, a friend of mine was driving Southbound on the I-17 in Phoenix, AZ. Her tire blew out. She pulled off the side of the road and turned on her hazard lights. She got out and opened her trunk. Just as she leaned in, an elderly lady mistook her flashing lights for the traffic in front of her and hit her at almost 60 miles per hour. It severed her legs mid-thigh. She spent the last couple hours of her life saying goodbye to what family and friends were able to get to the hospital in time. With a transfusion, she could have lived a long life. She would have likely been a double amputee, but she could have walked again with prosthetics. She died before midnight that night. She was 19.

Did she die because of her faith, or because of peer pressure and fear? As a Witness, you have a card in your wallet that is called a "medical directive" or 'No Blood' card. It's like a Medic Alert bracelet. It isn't optional. It's REQUIRED. It has to be signed by one of the elders in the church and two witnesses. If you're a minor or unmarried, usually those witnesses are your parents. If you're married, one of those witnesses is your significant other. So, if you're ever in an emergency and you are unconscious, you have the three people most likely to have your back and kill you on the operating table signing the card too.

I thought of my friend as a hero 18 years ago. Now, she was just an unfortunate kid that was pressured by her parents to die for something she probably didn't believe in. If she wasn't pressured, I don't know what to think about her.

This is what pisses me off about the whole thing, if Jehovah's Witnesses banned blood completely, 100%, no questions asked, that would be OK with me. I would understand their beliefs and maybe, I said MAYBE, even support them. In fact, I'm sure that's what most of you think.

HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS FOLKS. THIS IS GOING TO ROCK YOUR WORLD:

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ARE ALLOWED TO ACCEPT CERTAIN "PARTS" OF BLOOD. Blood is about 55% plasma. Plasma is 92% water. For the most part, that other 8%, when separated into its different elements, is allowed. Platelets, which make up only .17% of blood...allowed. Red cells, which make up 45%...allowed. White cells...allowed. So, if they are transfused separately it's OK. Altogether...the worst sin that could possibly be committed toward God.
It's like saying that it is a sin to eat a ham sandwich. BUT...if you eat the ham, the Swiss cheese, the bread, the lettuce, and the mayo separately, it's fine.

Witnesses are allowed to accept these donations any time they are needed, but are forbidden to donate back into the supply or store their own blood to be used at a later time. This, to me, is religious bigotry. When you expect the world to help you, but, because of your belief system, refuse to help others, that's bigotry.

Hemophiliacs occasionally get a transfusion of a clotting agent called Factor VIII. It takes, in some cases, 2500 blood donations, or up to 14,000 kilos(30,800 pounds) of blood, to make one dose of Factor VIII. Witnesses are allowed to take transfusions of Factor VIII, but not allowed to donate back into the supply. That doesn't sound Christian to me.

So, now that I have let you in on some inside knowledge on the Witnesses and blood transfusions, what do you think? Should religions get a blank check? Should they be able to do as they please and get what they ask for without question?