Blood transfusion opposition

June 16, 2008

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A judge has ruled that the rights of the Jehovah’s Witness parents of sextuplets born in Vancouver were not violated when doctors administered blood transfusions to the premature babies.

During the treatment of four premature babies transfusions were given against the wishes of the parents, who are members of a religion that opposes such medical procedures. After the transfusions, the babies were returned to their parents and since then their development has progressed well without any significant health problems.

In making his ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Brenner noted that the babies were born Jan. 7, 2007 at the B.C. Women’s and Children’s Hospital at 25 weeks and had extremely low birth weights, requiring resuscitation. They were admitted to an intensive care unit where they received life support including ventilation, oxygen, intravenous nutrition, the drug erythropoietin and other medications. Two babies died due to complications. During the treatment of the other four, physicians deemed that blood transfusions were a medical necessity.

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