MONTREAL — Anyone has the right to refuse a blood transfusion, even if it means certain death, says a Quebec coroner who studied the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two Jehovah’s Witnesses who had recently given birth. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe ingesting blood goes against their beliefs and that they should not accept transfusions or donate their own blood. She had been transferred to hospital in Levis from a birthing centre after complications, but had said from the start she would refuse blood products or transfusions. But Boyer disputes her niece made that decision freely and without external pressure — given she belongs to a religious community opposed to blood transfusions. The coroner recommended that hospitals and doctors draft a specific treatment plan for patients likely to refuse blood transfusions, adding that every minute counts.

Source: National Post November 14, 2017 15:11 UTC