The problem of adult, legally competent Jehovah’s Witnesses refusing blood transfusions

Abstract

The refusal to undergo a blood transfusion among Jehovah’s Witnesses raises important ethical and legal issues concerning the most appropriate course of action for the healthcare professionals involved in their care. In this article we discuss the Bioethical principles involved as well as the existing regulations, aiming to contribute towards a more meditated and uniform conduct among healthcare professionals.

Material and Methods: We performed a PubMed search for the word combinations “Jehovah’s Witness”, “Living will”, “Transfusion refusal” and “Blood refusal”, as well as a search through the Portuguese Legal System and for decisions from institutional bodies.

Results: We present different arguments both for and against blood transfusions in this context.

Discussion and Conclusions: Despite some exceptions, most authors uphold that a patient’s freely expressed will and right to autonomy should usually be respected even in a setting such as this, where different Bioethical principles naturally collide.