What happened to a man is causing discussion medico Roman who performed a transfusion to one Jehovah’s Witnessa procedure necessary to save the woman but which could now cost him one complaint for private violence. The patient had expressed her desire to avoid transfusions in any case and could now proceed against the surgeon.
Transfusion to a Jehovah’s Witness: surgeon risks prosecution
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The story that happened to a surgeon at the polyclinic is peculiar Umberto I of Rome which it risks being reported from a patient who underwent surgery. This time, however, medical malpractice has nothing to do with it, on the contrary the woman is doing very well.
To trigger a possible complaint it is the fact that the doctor performed a blood transfusion to the patient who, even in cases of extreme urgency, had prohibited to resort to this solution.
The reconstruction
Reconstructing what happened on December 18th is the Corriere della Sera which reports that the one indicted was the second surgery in a few days to a patient who was weighing over one hundred kilos.
The doctor had operated on the woman for the first time to implant a bypass gastrico. A few days later though, after some had come out complicationsa new intervention with a high probability of having to perform one transfusion so that everything went smoothly.
Conscious of the woman’s faith, one Jehovah’s Witness who had put in writing that she did not want to be subjected to the transfusion even if her life was in danger, the doctor had also asked for the opinion of the Rome Prosecutor’s Office.
The creed of Jehovah’s Witnesses
As mentioned, before intervening, the surgeon of Umberto I Polyclinic had contacted the prosecutor on duty, Saverio Francesco Musolino, who had illustrated the possible scenarios to him, adding that the protection of life is guaranteed by the Constitution.
Reassured, the surgeon opted for the operation and transfusion. The surgery is perfect successful so much so that the patient is now in excellent health. Despite this, he is now at risk of one complaint for private violence.
The woman had made it known that she did not want to resort to transfusions to respect her health religious belief. Jehovah’s Witnesses, in fact, refuse the introduction of blood because plasma symbolizes life and only God can dispose of it. For believers in this faith, the Bible commands abstention from blood, as the verses would confirm Genesis 9:3, Leviticus 17:10 and Acts 15:28, 29. In them it is explained how there is a sort of absolute ban on receiving blood in any form, which, if not respected, constitutes a serious sin.
ANSA
