The Placenta
Watchtower explains to the larger community of Jehovah’s Witnesses that its blood doctrine leaves them alone to accept transfusion of protein “fractions” from blood on the basis that proteins providing some immunity are transferred from mother to her unborn-child through the placental tissue barrier.[1]
The placental barrier is, ultimately, a very thin cellular tissue that separates maternal blood from blood that is carried to the unborn-child. Essentially there are two pathways through which matter in the maternal blood can transport through this tissue: transcellular, which means matter goes through cells in the tissue structure and paracellular, which means matter goes between cells in the tissue structure. The placental tissue barrier transport looks like this:
The Mammary
Watchtower has also explained to the larger community of Jehovah’s Witnesses that when a newborn child suckles from its mother’s breast, proteins that provide some immunity are transferred from mother to her child through the mammary tissue barrier.[2]
As with the placenta, the mammary too has a very thin cellular tissue that separates maternal blood from milk/colostrum that is carried to the born-child. Essentially there are two pathways through which matter in the maternal blood can transport through this tissue: transcellular, which means matter goes through cells in the tissue structure and paracellular, which means matter goes between cells in the tissue structure. The mammary tissue barrier transport looks like this:
Here is what Watchtower does not explain to the greater community of Jehovah’s Witnesses: of immunological “protein” matter that transfers from the mother’s blood to the suckling child via the mammary organ, the primary protein is that of white cells.
These transfered white cells do not transport by the transcellular pathway as precursors for milk/colostrum. Rather, the white cells take the direct paracellular pathway so they can continue working as they did for the mother by fighting bacteria.[3-4]
The Difference
On one hand Watchtower holds up the natural transference via the placenta organ as premise to accept constituents taken from blood, yet on the other hand Watchtower does not hold up natural transference via the mammary organ as premise to accept white cells taken from blood. Instead, and despite the natural transference of white cells via the mammary organ, Watchtower’s blood doctrine prohibits Witnesses from accepting transfusion of white cells under pain of its organized communal shunning policy.[5-6]
The Problem
If the natural and healthy transference from the mother’s blood to her unborn child is a basis upon which to accept or reject products rendered from blood then Watchtower’s prohibition against Witnesses accepting transfusion of white cells represents a fundamental contradiction inside Watchtower’s blood doctrine.
This internal contradiction in Watchtower’s reasoning is made more evident when readers realize that Watchtower has actually expressed both the placental and mammary passage of immunity in tandem statements.[7]
The “immune cells” cited by Watchtower are white cells that transfer directly from mother’s blood to her suckling infant via the mammary organ.
Marvin Shilmer
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References:
1. The Watchtower, June 15, 2004, pp. 30-31.
2. Awake, published by Watchtower, July 22, 1981, p. 22.
3. “In early postpartum colostrum the total leukocyte counts are comparable to those in peripheral blood”.—(Ho et al., Human Colostral and Breast Milk Cells a Light and Electron Microscope Study, Acta Paediatr Scand 68: 389-396, 1979)
4. “The composition of human milk undergoes remarkable quantitative changes as lactation proceeds, many of which track with changes in the developmental status of the infant. Human milk contains a rich array of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins, but most of its disease-fighting potential comes from a plethora of antibodies, leukocytes, hormones, antimicrobial peptides, cytokines, chemokines, and other bioactive factors that may be crucial to the infant’s defense against common pathogens in the first few weeks and months of life. Indeed, says Goldman, the effects of the immune system in human milk last for as long as the infant is breastfeeding and possibly beyond weaning.”—(Mead, Contaminants in Human Milk Weighing the Risks against the Benefits of Breastfeeding, Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 116, No. 10, October 2008)
5. The Watchtower, June 15, 2004, pp. 29-30.
6. Statement to the media, published by Watchtower, June 14, 2000 p. 1.
7. The Watchtower, June 15, 1999, p. 20
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