When AIDS Is No Threat

On the evening of October 3, 1984, young Kyle Bork was born seven weeks prematurely. His tiny lungs were too immature to function properly, so he was transferred 35 miles [56 km] away to the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, where equipment was available to care for such critically ill babies.

The doctor explained that Kyle’s blood would need to be replenished through a blood transfusion; otherwise he would in all probability die. Although it was very difficult for the parents, they stood firm on their Bible-based decision not to permit their baby to receive a transfusion. (Genesis 9:4, 5; Leviticus 17:10-14; Acts 15:28, 29) The doctor was understanding and cooperative. Yet, he said, if the situation became absolutely critical, he would obtain a court order and give a transfusion.

Remarkably, Kyle showed steady improvement, and by the ninth day, he was removed from the respirator. Two days later the parents took him home, and he developed into a happy, healthy child, as you can see from the picture. But that is not the end of the story.

Last year a Los Angeles television newscast reported that a number of children who had been in the Children’s Hospital of Orange County about the time Kyle was there had contracted AIDS from transfusions of tainted blood. The hospital was trying to contact the families of approximately 3,000 children so that they could be tested for the AIDS virus.

Immediately, Kyle’s parents called the hospital to make sure that he had not been transfused without their knowledge. Shortly, the hospital returned their call to assure them that he had not received any blood and so was in no danger of contracting AIDS. “We literally fell upon our knees and thanked Jehovah,” the parents explained, “for giving us his righteous laws and the strength to maintain our integrity in the face of such a test.”