Gary and Beth Septer: “Jehovah Is Close to the Brokenhearted”
In 2019 publiceerde de organisatie een video van zes minuten waarin twee ouders vertellen over het verlies van hun elfjarige zoon. De video wordt gepresenteerd als een verhaal over volharding en verhoord gebed. Hij is tegelijk een primaire bron, in de eigen stem van de organisatie, van wat het bloedbeleid in 1991 en 1992 van een gezin vroeg.
Laatst gecontroleerd 19 september 2026
De video
Official video · JW Broadcasting (JW.org)
Gary and Beth Septer: “Jehovah Is Close to the Brokenhearted”
Interviews and Experiences · Endurance · First published 19 augustus 2019 · Duration 6 min 15 s · Geverifieerd
Gary and Beth Septer describe their son Jerod’s diagnosis with lymphoma in mid-1991 at the age of eleven, the family’s refusal of blood transfusion, an investigation by Child Protective Services that was later dropped, the support of their congregation, Jerod’s death at home in June 1992, and their hope of seeing him again in the resurrection. A narrator closes by presenting the account as evidence that Jehovah answered their prayers.
Key moments (from the official captions)
0:21
“Jerod was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in the middle of 1991.”
0:27
“…in no way would we accept a blood transfusion, and neither would Jerod.”
0:36
Child Protective Services investigated for negligence and later “backed completely away from that”.
1:52
Congregation members filled the hallways of a hospital “1,500 miles … away from our home”.
2:26
“He died in June of 1992. He was at home.”
2:35
His last words to his parents: “Work hard so we can all be together again.”
4:58
“We look forward to seeing Jerod again, having him back with us.”
5:31
Narrator: “They asked for wisdom when seeking medical treatment for Jerod.”
Timestamps and quotations are taken from the official English captions file published alongside the video. The video was watched via the official player; no copy was downloaded or stored.
JWTruth.org does not host, download or alter this video. The official player on JW.org provides captions in many languages.
Wat de video vaststelt
Uitdrukkelijke uitspraak · 19 augustus 2019Geverifieerd
In an official JW Broadcasting video first published on 19 August 2019, Gary and Beth Septer recount that their son Jerod was diagnosed with lymphoma in mid-1991 aged 11, that neither they nor Jerod would accept a blood transfusion, and that he died at home in June 1992. The video does not state whether a transfusion was medically recommended or what role, if any, refusal played in his death. Source: JW Broadcasting (JW.org video), 19 augustus 2019
Het standpunt van de organisatie of haar latere verklaring: The video presents the family’s experience as an example of endurance and of answered prayer, and reports that Child Protective Services investigated and then withdrew.
Bewijsmateriaal tonen (1 bron)
Primaire publicatie van Jehovah’s GetuigenGeverifieerd
19 augustus 2019 · Duration 6 min 15 s; category ‘Endurance’ (VODIntExpEndurance); media key pub-jwb_E_201908_4_VIDEO · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Jerod was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in the middle of 1991. We started trying to figure out how we could get him the treatment that he needed, of course, but in no way would we accept a blood transfusion, and neither would Jerod.”
Official captions, 0:21–0:36. The captions record that Child Protective Services investigated the family for negligence and later ‘backed completely away from that’ (0:36–0:53); ‘He died in June of 1992. He was at home.’ (2:26–2:35); and a closing narration that the parents ‘asked for wisdom when seeking medical treatment for Jerod’ (5:31–5:35). The video does not state whether a transfusion was recommended by his doctors or what role, if any, refusal played in his death.
Toelichting op herkomst en verificatie for JW Broadcasting (JW.org video), Gary and Beth Septer: “Jehovah Is Close to the Brokenhearted”
Toelichting bij de betrouwbaarheid.Title, first-published date (19 August 2019), duration and category taken from the JW.org media API record for this item; the official English captions file (WebVTT) was opened and read in full on 19 September 2026, and the quoted lines and timestamps are taken from it. No copy of the video was downloaded or stored.
Notes.The video page on JW.org requires JavaScript; the link opens the official player. JW.org does not offer an embed code, so the site presents a preview card rather than an embedded player.
Geraadpleegd. 19 september 2026 · Bron-ID.src-jwb-2019-08-septer-video
Three things are stated plainly by the parents themselves: that Jerod had lymphoma, that neither he nor they would accept a transfusion, and that he died at home in June 1992. A fourth is stated by the narrator: that the parents “asked for wisdom when seeking medical treatment for Jerod”.Source: JW Broadcasting (JW.org video), 19 augustus 2019
Wat de video niet vaststelt
Er wordt niet gezegd of Jerods artsen een transfusie hebben aangeraden, of om welk bestanddeel het zou zijn gegaan.
Er wordt niet gezegd welke rol de weigering, als zij die al speelde, bij zijn overlijden heeft gehad. Lymfoom bij een kind is een ernstige ziekte. De video geeft geen informatie over zijn behandeling, de intensiteit daarvan of zijn prognose, en wij leiden uit dat zwijgen niets af.
Er wordt niet gezegd waarom Child Protective Services een onderzoek instelde of op welke grond die dienst zich terugtrok, afgezien van de verklaring van de ouders dat “they realized that we hadn’t been negligent”.
Wij stellen daarom niet dat een transfusie hem gered zou hebben, en wij vragen lezers om die bewering niet te doen op grond van deze pagina.
Het beleid van toen
When Jerod was ill, the organisation’s published position was the one set out in the 1990 brochure, which named whole blood and its four primary components as things Witnesses ‘do not accept’.Source: How Can Blood Save Your Life? (brochure), 1990Storing his own blood in advance of treatment was also excluded by the position later restated in 2000. The video’s wording, “in no way would we accept a blood transfusion”, reflects that position as a matter of conscience for the family, and the organisation presents their adherence to it as faithfulness.
Witnesses do not accept transfusions of whole blood, red cells, white cells, platelets, or blood plasma.
On 20 March 2026 the use of a patient’s own blood became a personal decision, and on 18 September 2026 so did red cells, white cells, plasma and platelets from a donor.Source: JW.org News, 20 maart 2026Source: JW.org (Questions From Readers), 18 september 2026The organisation says the congregation ‘will not get involved’ in such decisions and that ‘individual Christians should not judge others’.
1990 · footnote to par. 12 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Witnesses do not accept transfusions of whole blood, red cells, white cells, platelets, or blood plasma.”
The footnote continues by referring readers to The Watchtower of 1 June 1990, pages 30–31, for minor fractions such as immune globulin. The section describes non-blood volume expanders (saline, dextran, Haemaccel, lactated Ringer’s solution, hetastarch) as acceptable.
Toelichting op herkomst en verificatie for How Can Blood Save Your Life? (brochure), Quality Alternatives to Transfusion
Toelichting bij de betrouwbaarheid.Text opened on JW.org on 19 September 2026 and the footnote wording confirmed. The 1990 publication year is the brochure’s own imprint date as catalogued by the Watchtower Online Library (publication code hb); the JW.org page does not display a year.
15 oktober 2000 · pp.30-31 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Hence, we do not donate blood, nor do we store for transfusion our blood that should be ‘poured out.’ That practice conflicts with God’s law.”
The question asked was: ‘In the light of Bible commands about the proper use of blood, how do Jehovah’s Witnesses view medical procedures using one’s own blood?’ The article said that depositing one’s own blood weeks before surgery ‘directly contradicts’ Leviticus and Deuteronomy, while procedures in which the patient’s blood stays in a continuous circuit (haemodilution, cell salvage, heart-lung machines, dialysis) were left for each Christian to decide.
18 september 2026 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“After further prayerful consideration, the Governing Body has decided that this same principle applies to the four primary components of whole blood—red cells, white cells, plasma, and platelets—that are derived from another person’s blood. Therefore, each Christian must make his own personal decision about the use of these four primary components in all medical and surgical care.”
The article also states that Witnesses ‘do not accept transfusions of whole blood, nor do we donate blood that would be used as a whole blood transfusion to another person’, that each Christian must decide whether to donate blood ‘for the clearly expressed purpose of providing components or fractions’, and that it reflects what was shared in the 2026 Governing Body Update #6 and will appear in a future issue of The Watchtower.
Notes.The article carries the note: ‘This article reflects what was shared in the 2026 Governing Body Update #6 and will appear in a future issue of The Watchtower.’ It also states the Governing Body ‘is not authorized to “go beyond the things that are written”’ (1 Corinthians 4:6).
Geraadpleegd. 19 september 2026 · Bron-ID.src-jw-2026-0918-qfr-respect-life
Placed beside this video, the change can be described precisely and without overreach. A family in Jerod’s position in 2026 could accept the four primary components without any congregational consequence. Whether that would have changed a particular child’s outcome is a clinical question that the record does not answer. What the record does show is that the rule, and therefore the choices, are not the same as they were in 1992, and that the organisation now says the Governing Body is ‘not authorized to “go beyond the things that are written”’ because the Scriptures ‘do not comment’ on the products concerned. It has not said whether that reasoning applied to its earlier position; readers can compare the two.Source: JW.org (Questions From Readers), 18 september 2026
Hoe wij met dit materiaal omgaan
Gary en Beth Septer zijn levende mensen die ervoor hebben gekozen hun verhaal in het openbaar te vertellen via het kanaal van hun organisatie. Wij hebben hen kort en nauwkeurig geciteerd, naar de officiële video gelinkt in plaats van die zelf te hosten, en elk oordeel over hen vermeden. Hun verdriet en hun oprechtheid staan niet ter discussie. Het onderwerp van deze pagina is het gepubliceerde beleid dat zij volgden, en wat daar sindsdien mee is gebeurd.
Op deze pagina aangehaalde bronnen
Show all 4 sources, in date order
Each opens a full record with links, provenance and a confidence note.
Primaire publicatie van Jehovah’s GetuigenGeverifieerd
19 augustus 2019 · Duration 6 min 15 s; category ‘Endurance’ (VODIntExpEndurance); media key pub-jwb_E_201908_4_VIDEO · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Jerod was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in the middle of 1991. We started trying to figure out how we could get him the treatment that he needed, of course, but in no way would we accept a blood transfusion, and neither would Jerod.”
20 maart 2026 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“Christians are not under the Mosaic Law. However, we obey the apostolic command to ‘abstain from blood.’ Furthermore, the Bible does not comment on the use of a person’s own blood in medical and surgical care. Therefore, like other choices about health care, each Christian must make his own decision about the use of his own blood in all medical and surgical care.”
18 september 2026 · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
“After further prayerful consideration, the Governing Body has decided that this same principle applies to the four primary components of whole blood—red cells, white cells, plasma, and platelets—that are derived from another person’s blood. Therefore, each Christian must make his own personal decision about the use of these four primary components in all medical and surgical care.”
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