Jehovah’s Witness Emma Gough: Husbands Farewell To Wife
November 6, 2007 By Kerry
Filed under News
The husband of a Jehovah’s Witness Emma Gough who had of twins and then died after refusing a blood transfusion spoke of his grief at her funeral yesterday in Telford, Shropshire.
Anthony Gough, must now face bringing up his newborn twins without their mum, Anthony said that “It’s difficult for everyone. We are coping the best we can.”
A family source has said that “It is impossible to imagine the anguish he is going through.”
Emma Gough who was just 22, died hours after having the healthy babies.
Emma had signed a form forbidding a transfusion because her faith banned it. But complications led to a massive blood loss and despite medics asking then to overturn her decision her family could not bring them self to do it.
The source said that “The Witness community knows it was a decision he had to make and supports it. Emma made her decision because the Bible tells Witnesses they must abstain from blood.
An inquest into Emma’s death has been opened and adjourned.
One of Anthony’s neighbours has said that “I can’t believe a man wouldn’t do all he could to save his dying wife. What kind of God wants little twins to grow up without a mummy?
But I guess that’s what we are all thinking?
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Many Jehovah’s Witnesses men,women and children die every year worldwide due to blood transfusion ban.Rank & file Jehovah’s Witness are indoctrinated to be scared to death of blood.
FYI
1) JW’s DO USE many parts aka ‘fractions’ aka components of blood,so if it’s ’sacred’ to God why the hypocritical contradiction flip-flop?
2) They USE blood collections that are donated by Red cross and others but don’t donate back,more hypocrisy.
3) The Watchtower promotes and praises bloodless elective surgeries,this is a great advancement indeed.BUT it’s no good to me if I am bleeding to death from a car crash and lose half my blood volume and need EMERGENCY blood transfusion.
Jehovah’s Witnesses elders will investigate and disfellowship any Jehovah Witness who takes a blood transfusion,to say the issue is a ‘personal conscience matter’ is subterfuge to keep the Watchtower out of lawsuits.
The Watchtower’s rules against blood transfusions will eventually be abolished (very gradually to reduce wrongful death lawsuit liability) even now most of the blood ‘components’ are allowed.
—
Danny Haszard born 1957 3rd generation Jehovah’s Witness
The Orwellian Watchtower world.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are brainwashed by watchtower cult indoctrination from 12 senile old men in New york city.
The problem is they are forbidden to use critical thinking skills.
Many more have died from the fanatical JW blood ban than died at Jonestown.The Watchtower religion is ‘Jonestown without the kool-aid’
This WatchTower Society requirement that Jehovah’s Witnesses must refuse to accept any blood transfusions dates back only to 1945. Misinterpreting the Old Testament prohibition against eating animal blood as a routine food item, the WatchTower Society began teaching in 1945 that receiving a blood transfusion was “eating human blood”. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that receiving an infusion of human blood into their body’s circulatory system is scientifically the exact same thing as eating or ingesting blood into their body’s digestive system.
“A patient in the hospital maybe fed through the mouth, through the nose, or through the veins. When sugar solutions are given intravenously it is called intravenous feeding. So the hospital’s own terminology recognizes as feeding the process of putting nutrition into one’s system via the veins. Hence the attendant administering the transfusion is feeding the patient through the veins, and the patient receiving it is eating through his veins.” — The WATCHTOWER magazine, July 1, 1951.
Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that when human blood is transfused into their body’s circulatory system that the transfused human blood remains to be human blood and continues to function as human blood. Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that if blood is eaten, then the ingested blood enters the body’s digestive system, where the blood would be treated by the body exactly the same as it would treat a hotdog, a potato chip, or any other food item. Ingested blood would be completely digested and broken down into proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and waste; which are then either assimilated or excreted by the body.
The WatchTower Society uses scriptures which speak about the blood of slaughtered animals to teach Jehovah’s Witnesses that blood is “sacred” because blood is the “symbol of life”. Then, the WatchTower Society turns around and requires Jehovah’s Witnesses to sacrifice their own “life” to maintain the alleged “sacredness” of a “symbol” of the very thing they are sacrificing — their life. Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to acknowledge that the WatchTower doctrine on blood moronically places a higher value on the SYMBOL than it does on the THING SYMBOLIZED.
In fact, the Old Testament scriptures permitted the eating of unbled animal meat, which the Bible treats exactly the same as eating animal blood itself. In isolated occasions, when humans needed to eat unbled meat in order to sustain their own human life, the Mosaic Law permitted such, but then required the eaters to fulfill the requirements of being “unclean” for a few days. Thus, the Bible recognized that the sustaining of human life was more “sacred” than maintaining the sacredness of animal blood. To do otherwise would be doing exactly what the moronic WatchTower Society does. It would make the SYMBOL more SACRED than the THING SYMBOLIZED.
In fact, the WatchTower Society is leading Jehovah’s Witnesses to disobey GOD and violate the Holy Scriptures in one of the most serious ways possible. Because humans were created in GOD’s image, GOD considers human life sacred. A Jehovah’s Witness who sacrifices their SACRED LIFE in order to maintain the sacredness of a SYMBOL of that SACRED LIFE varies little from those who profane life by committing suicide. Those Jehovah’s Witness Elders who teach and police this moronic doctrine vary little from common accessories to murder. The Bible is fairly clear in how GOD views murder, and how He deals with Murderers.
This moronic twisting of scripture would be laughable if not for the fact that it has lead to the pointless deaths of numerous Jehovah’s Witnesses in the past, and it will continue to lead to the pointless deaths of many more Jehovah’s Witnesses in the future.
The following website summarizes over 315 U.S. court cases and lawsuits affecting children of Jehovah’s Witness Parents, including 200+ cases where the JW Parents refused to consent to life-saving blood transfusions for their dying children:
DIVORCE, BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com
The parents in Jonestown forced 276 children to drink poison because they too believed it was in their best interests.
What a pity that many of you contributors to this piece don`t do a bit of research before coming out with your judgements on what others do. At least Jehovah`s Witnesses have courage of their convictions.
I wonder how many of you who take such a moral high ground condone the murder of babies through abortions?
And finally, I would suggest that far more die from receving blood transfusions, either through improper matching, or the contracting of disease, than by NOT accepting blood. Blood is NOT guaranteed safe, other alternatives normally are.
Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Dissident Jehovah’s Witness speaks out.
No tolerance,the Jehovah’s Witnesses are a cult because they try to cut you off from others who do not have the same beliefs, including family. The Watchtower is an oppressive organization if there ever was one!
The ‘message’ is their false Gospel that Jesus had his second coming already in 1914.The problem with this,is it’s not just a cute fairy tale, Jesus warned of the false prophets who would claim “..look he is here in the wilderness,or see here he is at the temple”
The Watchtower’s Gospel “kingdom” is a man-made “different version”.(Gal.1:8)
The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world.
—-
Danny Haszard Jehovah’s Witness X 33 years and 3rd generation
I am a surgeon and I too would not accept a blood transfusion. I am not “brainwashed” as you accuse Mrs Gough of being, I have studied for many years and I am at the top of my profession. Mine is an informed decision.
I admire Mrs Gough for her stand as well as her family for having the love and strength to support her and respect her personal decision, despite a tragic loss.
I hope my family would respect my decision in the same way
To: Lauren above post the “surgeon”
I am sure you are a skilled jehovah’s Witnesses TREE pruning surgeon
Lauren-Are you really a ’surgeon’?
Or,are you a Jehovah’s Witnesses apologist making it all up?
I’m a cardiothoracic surgoen truthseeker … what are you a professional mud slinger?
SICK! SICK! SICK!. I’ve been dating/friends with a JW for 3years and it has been HELL!. He has very strange and unreal values as in like this here!..It is a cult, have you read the long list of RULES? what you can not do as a JW. It’s over 100 rules and I find some funny. Couldn’t help but smile and share my laughter with others. I also share it with my friend and he does alot of the things on that list! I find it interesting to see and watch his family and other jw’s I have met congregate like a pack of wolves at eachothers homes and my friend goes and I listen to the silly things when he returns from the adventure they call meetings. I have been to one on easter week w/ a friend and NEVER AGAIN!!!. I am catholic and attended private catholic school and did all the requirements of my religion. But, I don’t push it on anyone else…..i feel bad for all JW’s..wow!!!
Hmmmm I don’t think it’s right to be calling names specially if u are a professional lauren shit head u fuck witt embicile yup i can’t spell so u know teach me fucking ashole damn fucking shit head u mother fucking cunt
lauren u better get a grip on ur life matey just get on with life jus tlik eam movin gon yup criticise me as well yup am uncivlise fuck witt like you shit fucking ashole now u got the point it does takes time but keep moving on with ur real world shit head look i have deeeptowards a murderer who killed my dad but gosh u just dated a jw and now u are becoming a bit psycho maybe u should make it all the way huh ..hay yay yay looking forward to ur next posting bitch!!!!
vandyke, clearly you don`t need a surgeon, more a psychiatrist.
Poor Lost Soul’s, what a load of nonsense you`ve come up with. A list of `rules`? Do me a favor! You should get a life, your friend sounds a lot happier than you seem to be. There`s nothing wrong with having standards in this world, and if you find that amusing you`re the one to be pitied, not your JW friend.
According to a number of news reports I`ve been reading Emma would almost certainly have died whatever treatment she had received. So this thing that she died `because she refused a blood transfusion` is garbage. Many of you here have got taken in by sensationialistic journalism. That`s very naive of you, you really shouldn`t take everything you read in the newspapers as fact.
Interesting that thus far no medical people have appeared here and commented about the evils of JWs, just those with an agenda, hey Jerry & Danny? Ex JWs who eat, sleep, & breathe JWs, how sad is that.
Massive blood loss can only be counteracted with a blood transfusion. She died due to massive blood loss, and a transfusion may or may not have saved her life, but she never even had the chance to find out. Sad to see the life of a beautiful mom ended before she could love and raise up her children.
The blood teaching is false, the WT misleads as to the dangers of blood. This story, and others like it, are heartbreaking. Blood doesn’t fix everything, but it saves millions of lives each year, for real. It doesn’t kill millions. A few may die of complications of taking blood, but many many people are alive today because of blood products forbidden to JWs.
I wouldn’t take blood lightly, but certain death (such as she was facing) vs. the tiny possibility of complication or disease? That is not even an issue to a reasonable person. Every medical procedure takes risks. We measure them against the benefits. If my known risk was that I would be a little weaker for a few days w/o blood, I would probably refrain from taking it with the risks being what they are. Certain death or near certain death as the alternative to taking blood? I’ll risk living with a treatable disease so I can raise my kids, and see grandchildren someday. Not even a question!
The WT stance would be bad enough if they were merely misinterpreting the Bible, but they are exaggerating the dangers of blood in addition, and I think that is unconscionable-they are scaring people away from procedures just in case the religious reasoning doesn’t really make sense to them. Nasty.
What makes me laugh is the amount of ex-JW’s who love nothing more than slinging mud at the Organisation. If it wasn’t so tragic it would be funny. Why don’t you all go and get a life?
And the rest of you - please check out your facts before you write such utter nonsense.
Lauren - I respect your comment and it was nice to hear someone from the medical profession comment.
No-one knows the full story here but rather than let this guy grieve for his wife everyone would rather be unbelievably cruel and heartless.
Those of you saying how horrendous this was - do you also make the same claims for all the needless abortions carried out every day?
At least the Witnesses have standards and morals that are upheld.
Give it a rest and crawl back under the rocks from which you came.
In a word Jehovah’s Witnesses are a *scapegoating* cult,they exist and thrive on a supremacist tyrannical doctrine they they are superior and the one true religion.They have NO tolerance for dissent
Lots of the usual venom from Danny Haszard whose sole purpose in life seems to be to find articles about Jehovah’s Witnesses and publish his bile.
Lots of emotion too, understandably perhaps, BUT no mention of the facts about blood transfusions.
Just consider the following extracts about a recent study on the use of blood transfusions in cardiac surgery:-
[QUOTE]
“single-center retrospective cohort study of over 5,800 patients”
“The investigators found that transfusion was strongly associated with increased infection – over 3-fold higher in transfused patients compared with non-transfused.”
“transfusion was associated with a greater than 3-fold adjusted increased risk of ischemic events.”
“The risks increased with the number of units transfused.”
“does not support current recommendations for more liberal transfusion thresholds for elderly and high-risk patients.”
“transfusion was associated with increased ICU, high-dependency unit and hospital length of stay and a 40% increase in overall hospital costs.”
“The 30-day mortality rate was over 6-times higher in the transfused patients and increased mortality was observed up to 7 years after surgery.”
“study argues against the proposition that the adverse outcomes associated with transfusion are a result of sicker patients receiving transfusions rather than the transfusion per se.”
“The authors state that they believe the harmful effect of transfusion is real. They hope that these finds will serve as an impetus for governments to invest in research to address issues raised by this study.”
“At any time after their operations, transfused patients were less likely to have been discharged from hospital (hazard ratio [HR], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.60 to 0.67) and were more likely to have died (0 to 30 days: HR, 6.69; 95% CI, 3.66 to 15.1; 31 days to 1 year:”
[/QUOTE]
You can read it for yourself at:-
http://www.sabm.org/news/detail.php?id=605
Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t avoid blood because of medical reasons but their refusal is medically sound.
Clearly the hospital was not geared up to deal with an obvious high risk case of a twin birth where blood use was not an option, they must live with that error just as Emma’s family must live with her loss.
HELLO JW’s DO use all kinds of Blood products DON’T donate back blast anyone who exposes their hypocrisy they got a burr on their butt about whole blood but use all the “parts” you are fanatics and freaks
Jeff, give it a rest. You clearly are not up with the times are you? Apparently this hospital has an unusually high incidence of patients dieing during or after childbirth, and there is a strong suspicion that that were negligent in the way they dealt with this woman in not performing a C-Section quickly enough. I think the word `cutbacks` comes into the equation.
And please, before you write “They [J.Ws] have NO tolerance for dissent” take a look at yourself, you seem a very intolerant sort of character.
James, your info is great to support bloodless surgery whenever possible. I would do my best to avoid getting a blood transfusion in general. BUT, it is not medically valid to refuse blood when you are ‘bleeding out’ and losing your grip on life due to blood loss. That is the whole risk factor. Not everyone comes through surgery without a need for blood, no matter how good the surgeon. And frankly, a controlled surgery cannot be compared to an uncontrolled trauma and severe blood loss that cannot be staunched. You can’t replace red blood cells with any artificial means. You must have adequate red cells in order to live. Not negoiable.
But, less dependence on blood is a great thing. It is not the whole answer, nor is a non-transfusing treatment always going to work.
HELLO JW’s DO use all kinds of Blood products (about 60%) DON’T donate back to the blood collection centers.
What part of this self evident truthful fact do the JW defenders not understand? If blood is sacred to God then how can the Watchtower leaders play God themselves with what ‘fractions’ parts can be used?
Thousand of men women and children have died in the last 20 years.
Hello!