Gary and Beth Septer: “Jehovah Is Close to the Brokenhearted”
En 2019, l’organisation a publié une vidéo de six minutes dans laquelle deux parents racontent la perte de leur fils de onze ans. Elle est présentée comme un récit d’endurance et de prière exaucée. C’est aussi un document primaire, énoncé par l’organisation elle-même, de ce que la règle sur le sang demandait à une famille en 1991 et en 1992.
Dernière vérification le 19 septembre 2026
La vidéo
Official video · JW Broadcasting (JW.org)
Gary and Beth Septer: “Jehovah Is Close to the Brokenhearted”
Interviews and Experiences · Endurance · First published 19 août 2019 · Duration 6 min 15 s · Vérifié
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.
Dans une vidéo officielle de JW Broadcasting publiée pour la première fois le 19 août 2019, Gary et Beth Septer racontent que leur fils Jerod a reçu un diagnostic de lymphome au milieu de l’année 1991, à l’âge de 11 ans, que ni eux ni Jerod n’auraient accepté de transfusion sanguine, et qu’il est mort chez lui en juin 1992. La vidéo ne précise pas si une transfusion avait été recommandée sur le plan médical, ni quel rôle, le cas échéant, le refus a joué dans sa mort. Source: JW Broadcasting (JW.org video), 19 août 2019
Position de l’organisation ou explication ultérieure : La vidéo présente l’expérience de la famille comme un exemple d’endurance et de prière exaucée, et rapporte que les services de protection de l’enfance (Child Protective Services) ont mené une enquête, puis se sont retirés.
Afficher les preuves (1 source)
Publication primaire des Témoins de JéhovahVérifié
19 août 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.
Note de provenance et de vérification for JW Broadcasting (JW.org video), Gary and Beth Septer: “Jehovah Is Close to the Brokenhearted”
Note sur la fiabilité.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.
Date de consultation. 19 septembre 2026 · Identifiant de la source.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 août 2019
Ce que la vidéo n’établit pas
Elle ne dit pas si les médecins de Jerod ont recommandé une transfusion, ni de quel composant il se serait agi.
Elle ne dit pas quel rôle, s’il y en a eu un, le refus a joué dans sa mort. Un lymphome chez un enfant est une maladie grave. La vidéo ne donne aucune information sur son traitement, sur l’intensité de celui-ci ou sur son pronostic, et nous ne tirons aucune conclusion de son silence.
Elle ne dit pas pourquoi les Child Protective Services (les services américains de protection de l’enfance) ont enquêté, ni sur quelle base ils se sont retirés, au-delà de la déclaration des parents selon laquelle « ils ont compris que nous n’avions pas été négligents ».
Nous n’affirmons donc pas qu’une transfusion l’aurait sauvé, et nous demandons aux lecteurs de ne pas l’affirmer en s’appuyant sur cette page.
La règle en vigueur à l’époque
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 mars 2026Source: JW.org (Questions From Readers), 18 septembre 2026The organisation says the congregation ‘will not get involved’ in such decisions and that ‘individual Christians should not judge others’.
Les composants que les publications officielles ont classés comme inacceptables de 1990 jusqu’en septembre 2026 (globules rouges, globules blancs, plaquettes et plasma) peuvent désormais être acceptés au titre d’une décision personnelle. Pour un patient Témoin aujourd’hui, les options qui peuvent être choisies sans conséquence au sein de la congrégation sont donc sensiblement différentes de celles dont disposaient les jeunes gens décrits en 1994 et en 2019. Source: How Can Blood Save Your Life? (brochure), 1990Source: The Watchtower, 15 octobre 2000Source: JW.org (Questions From Readers), 18 septembre 2026
Afficher les preuves (3 sources)
Publication primaire des Témoins de JéhovahVérifié
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.
Note de provenance et de vérification for How Can Blood Save Your Life? (brochure), Quality Alternatives to Transfusion
Note sur la fiabilité.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 octobre 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 septembre 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).
Date de consultation. 19 septembre 2026 · Identifiant de la source.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 septembre 2026
Comment nous traitons ce contenu
Gary et Beth Septer sont des personnes vivantes qui ont choisi de raconter publiquement leur histoire sur la chaîne de leur organisation. Nous les avons cités brièvement et fidèlement, nous avons mis un lien vers la vidéo officielle plutôt que de l’héberger, et nous nous sommes abstenus de tout jugement à leur égard. Leur douleur et leur sincérité ne sont pas en cause. Le sujet de cette page est la règle publiée qu’ils suivaient, et ce qu’elle est devenue depuis.
Sources citées sur cette page
Show all 4 sources, in date order
Each opens a full record with links, provenance and a confidence note.
Publication primaire des Témoins de JéhovahVérifié
19 août 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 mars 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 septembre 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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