The Pretoria High Court has granted doctors at the Pretoria Academic hospital an urgent court order enabling them to give a month-old baby a blood transfusion. The blood transfusion had been opposed by the baby’s family who are Jehovah's Witnesses, says a Mail & Guardian Online report. The infant is one of twins born prematurely on September 20. They were placed in an incubator, but one boy developed complications. He became anaemic and the doctors told the family he needed a blood transfusion urgently. But the family refused. On Saturday night, doctors asked the court to override the family's wishes that the child should not be given a transfusion. Before granting the order, the judge also heard from the family, who persisted in their opposition to a transfusion.
Full report on Mail & Guardian Online site
Supplied courtesy of Legalbrief Today.
