HOW CAN BLOOD SAVE YOUR LIFE?

RELIEVING LEGAL CONCERNS

You may wonder, 'Why are some doctors and hospitals quick to get a court order to give blood?  In some places a common reason is fear of liability. 

There is  no basis for such concern when Jehovah's Witnesses choose non-blood management. A doctor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (U.S.A.) writes:  "Most [Witnesses] readily sign the American Medical Association form relieving physicians and hospitals of liability, and many carry a Medical Alert [card].  A properly signed and dated 'Refusal to Accept Blood Products' form is a contractual agreement and is legally binding." -Anesthesiology News, October 1989.  

Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses cooperatively offer legal assurance that a physician or hospital will not incur liability in providing requested non-blood therapy. As recommended by medical experts, each Witness carries a Medical Document card.  This is usually renewed annually and is signed by the person and by witnesses, often his next of kin.  

In March 199o, the  Supreme Court of Ontario, Canada, upheld   a decision that commented approvingly such a document:  "The card is a written declaration of a valid position which the card carrier may legitimately take in imposing a written restriction on [the] contract with the doctor."  In Medicinsk Etik (1985),   Professor Daniel Andersen wrote:  "If there is  an unambiguous written statement from the patient saying that he is one of Jehovah's Witnesses and does not want blood under any circumstances, respect for the patient's autonomy requires that this wish be respected, just as if it had been expressed orally."

Next time: HOW CAN BLOOD SAVE YOUR LIFE?/Conclusion of RELIEVING LEGAL CONCERNS

From the Watchtower magazine