Jehovah’s Witness parents may address court in transfusion case

THE Jehovah’s Witness parents’ of a four-and-a-half- year-old girl who may need a blood transfusion are to be given the opportunity to address the High Court today after a hospital sought an order allowing it to transfuse the child if necessary.

The Dublin hospital made an emergency application to Ms Justice Mary Laffoy yesterday seeking the order after the parents refused to give consent for a transfusion.

The child, whose parents are from the Congo and are members of the Jehovah’s Witness faith, was admitted to the hospital last Sunday after being transferred from another hospital suffering from chest problems, fever, sharpness of breath and vomiting. An X-ray revealed that fluid needed to be drained from her chest, a doctor from the Dublin hospital told the High Court.

The doctor said that the procedure could involve the potential loss of blood and even the possibility of bleeding to death, particularly as in this case the child’s haemoglobin was at nine, below the normal level of 12 to 14.

While this bleeding rarely happened, the doctor said, there was a potential in this case and this was explained to the girl’s mother.

It was also explained that if there was bleeding, a transfusion would be necessary and the mother then said she and her husband were Jehovah’s Witnesses. The doctor told the court the mother then phoned her husband who then spoke to the doctor telling him “don’t transfuse under any circumstances”. The father said he would challenge it in the courts if the hospital tried to transfuse.

The court heard the parents were put on notice that the hospital would be applying to the High Court for an order in relation to the child.

After hearing that the procedure would not need to be carried out until today between 10am and midday, Ms Justice Laffoy said the parents should be put on notice that they could come to court before any order is made.

“In view of the attitude of the mother and particularly the father, I think they should be put on notice given that it is not an emergency,” the judge said.

She ordered the hospital to put the parents on formal notice of today’s hearing.

The judge also ordered that nothing should be published that would identify the child.