Ugeskrift for laeger
-
Ugeskrift for laeger · Feb 1991
Review[Blood transfusion and Jehovah's witnesses. Ethical and medicolegal aspects].
Jehovah's witnesses refuse transfusion of blood and blood products on the basis of religious convictions even when transfusion is considered necessary to save life. Medical treatment of these patients presents an ethical challenge for the physicians. The legal aspects of either administering blood to or withholding necessary blood transfusion from a Jehovah's witness are not clarified. ⋯ Final clarification of the patients' rights and the physicians' legal status could be obtained by an amendment to the existing Practice of Medicine Acts as proposed in the report (1184) from the Danish Ministry of Justice. The ethical aspects of administering blood to or withholding blood from these patients are also complex. It is recommended to determine one's own attitude individually and to inform the patient about this before an operation.