Watchtower misrepresents Santinelli on transfusion

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Bartholomeo Santinelli (Santinello) lived and worked in the 17th century as a physician. The Watchtower organization’s leadership quotes this physician as though he agreed with its position against contemporary blood transfusion.

As it turns out, that's a flagrant mischaracterization of what Santinelli said.

The lie

Under the heading Transfusion and the Apostolic Decree, Watchtower’s top leadership presents Santinelli’s view this way[1]:

According to Watchtower writers, Santinelli believed blood transfusions were against God’s law as expressed in the Apostolic Decree. But the Santinelli quote is interrupted with an ellipsis. Is this to facilitate succinctness? What did Santinelli say that’s omitted?

What Santinelli said

Santinelli's book quoted by Watchtower is published in medieval Latin.[2] For purpose of this article pages have been translated to share in contemporary English.[3]

Of blood transfusion the following shows what Watchtower's leadership omitted from Santinelli's statement[3]:

Santinelli’s biblical view did not at all comment about today's contemporary transfusion of donor blood.

Santinelli held a view that the biblical mandate to abstain from blood was aimed at reducing cruelty and therefore lessening homicidal tendency among humans by instilling mercy. As pointed out by Santinelli, as practiced in his day, obtaining blood for transfusion was cruel and inhumane; hence his objection to it on biblical grounds of compassion.

Regarding the Apostolic Decree of Acts Chapter 15, Santinelli believed the Decree was temporary.

Santinelli's objection

As it turned out, what Santinelli objected to on biblical grounds was the force, pain and cruelty animals were subjected to by humans for purpose of blood transfusion. This was his reason for objecting to blood transfusion as practiced in the 17th century as against God's law.

Santinelli neither objected to nor addressed today's contemporary transfusion practices using blood donated by benevolent individuals. For sure we know Santinelli saw nothing in conflict with the Apostolic Decree of Acts chapter 15. As Santinelli expressed it, the Apostolic Decree "would not last in perpetuity".

Yet Watchtower’s top leadership presents the words of Santinelli as though on biblical grounds he objected to blood transfusion as practised by physicians in the late 20th century.

Making things worse

Watchtower has done more than publish this misinformation in its religious journals. It has also published the same material in legal filings under penalty of law against intentional misrepresentation of facts.[4]

Worst of all

The most deplorable thing is that tens of thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses have suffered premature death consequential to obeying Watchtower's teaching against blood transfusion.[5] These individuals deserved better. At the very least these deserved to have had honest presentation of information.

Marvin Shilmer

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References:

1. Awake, published by Watchtower, September 8, 1986, p. 27.

2. Confusio transfusionis, sive confutatio operationis transfundentis sanguinem de individuo ad individuum, by Bartolomeo Santinelli, Rome, 1668, pages 130-132.

3. A Confounding of Transfusion, or a Refutation of the Operation of Transfusing Blood From Individual to Individual, by Bartolomeo Santinelli, Rome, 1668, pages 130-131 (English translation).

4. Dubreuil v South Broward Hospital, amicus brief filed by Watchtower, February 18, 1993. (Available at: Watchtower's amicus brief in Dubreuil v South Broward Hospital, 1993 

5. 50,000 dead

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