Woman was 'ready to die' for her faith
By Tim Healy
Friday December 14 2007

A Jehovah's Witness said she believed a blood transfusion was a transgression of "an order from God'' and she was "prepared to die'' for her faith.

The 24-year-old French-speaking woman, known as Ms K, became distressed while giving evidence for the first time in the High Court yesterday.

The evidence was given during the continuing action by the Coombe Women's Hospital for court orders that it was entitled to apply in September 2006 for an injunction allowing it to transfuse her against her wishes.

Examined by her counsel, John Rogers, and speaking through a translator, Ms K said that, after she haemorrhaged, she was told by hospital staff a transfusion was the only solution that would save her life. She said she had refused a transfusion several times, telling the doctors she was an adult and did not want a transfusion.

She accepted it was "no joke" when a doctor gives a warning that a person's life is in danger. However, because of her faith, she did not want any blood and was "prepared to die".

She had told the doctors that, for her, having a transfusion was a transgression of "an order from God'' in the Bible.

It was "breaking the rules'' because it was "written in the Bible that we should not accept blood or blood products''.

"I had to accept that order and it was me who had to make that decision.'' She was born and had grown up under that principle, she added. She wanted to make hospital staff understand that she was not happy to have a transfusion, she felt "abused and dirtied''.

Asked what she found "offensive'' about the transfusion, she said it was because she was made to transgress something at the "bottom of her beliefs'' and because the doctors were not 100pc sure the blood was good for the person.She still cannot forget the blood is in her, she said. "It really hurts.''

She had become a Jehovah's Witness in 1995 and her father, who had converted from Catholicism, was an elder in the Jehovah Witness faith.

Ms K was giving evidence on the 28th day of the action by the hospital arising from it securing a court order on September 21 2006 allowing it to administer a transfusion to her.

The hospital sought the order after Ms K lost 80pc of her blood following a difficult birth and has told the court staff were not informed she was a Jehovah's Witness until after the emergency arose.

The hospital contends Ms K's constitutional rights to freedom of conscience and the free practice of religion did not allow her to decline appropriate medical treatment.

She denies the claims and, in a counter-claim, contends the transfusion was a breach of her rights and constituted assault and trespass on her person.

The case continues.

Blood transfusions are not without inherent risks up to and including organ failure and death.  Taking away someones RIGHT to refuse a treatment that may kill you sounds like the kind of things you hear about from people who know nothing about the practice.

Good thing you don't work in medicine.

Rightly or wrongly, we do not allow people the right to die when there is a good chance of saving them.