[What we can learn from refusal of transfusion therapy from experience with Jehovah's Witnesses]

Patients who refuse blood transfusion for personal or religious reasons present complex medical, legal and moral problems. Blood transfusion has been doctrinally forbidden for Jehovah's Witnesses since 1945. Their refusal is based on the strict interpretation of several Biblical passages. A clear understanding of the philosophy of the Jehovah's Witnesses regarding blood transfusion and of the medicolegal and ethical aspects of their care is essential to clinicians who care for such patients. Various ethical principles, including the patient's autonomy, the interest of society in preserving life and the dignity of medical profession can be confronted. There are no clear guidelines which physicians can follow in deciding to treat or not treat in the presence of a patient's refusal. However, most authors agree that a competent adult has an absolute right to decline medical treatment, and that it is not morally or ethically correct to force patient to an unwanted treatment. We wished to present the experiences with the use of alternative methods in the treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses and to discuss ethical and legal aspects of treatment decisions in the presence of blood transfusion refusal.