I wanted my daughter to live Jehovah’s Witness regrets refusing treatment for sick child after Church tweaks ‘blood rule’

When his four-year-old daughter became gravely ill, David* did not consent to blood treatment because he believed accepting it would mean disobeying Jehovah.

His little girl later died and he somehow learnt to live with his decision, believing that, however painful, he had remained faithful to what he understood God required of him. Now, a major revision by Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding the use of four primary blood components has forced him to revisit that painful chapter of his life.

“I honestly didn’t know how to feel. I still don’t know how to feel,” the father told THE WEEKEND STAR. “Because immediately your mind goes back. You start thinking about the decisions you made and the price you paid because you believed there was no other choice.”