‘No blood for my child’: Dad refuses transfusion because of religious beliefs

A critically ill Mpumalanga teenager has been waiting for a liver transplant because his father does not want the blood transfusion process to be conducted.

The father, whose name cannot be disclosed due to the sensitivity of the matter, told The Citizen as a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, his family members are not allowed to undergo a blood transfusion process.

Father will not allow son to get blood transfusion

According to the father, the 14-year-old boy from KwaGuqa in Emalahleni was initially admitted to the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, where doctors found he was suffering from kidney failure caused by kidney stones.

“The doctors told us that the cause of the problems was a severe liver problem that requires a liver transplant. They said during the surgery he might lose a lot of blood. They suggested a need for a blood transfusion – something I will not allow to happen because there are other ways that can be used to increase his blood volume,” said the father.

“The hospital officials told me my son was supposed to be taken to the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre to undergo a liver transplant, but the institution does not want to allow us to have a meeting with them to suggest alternative ways of raising the blood volumes. All I am asking is that we should be given a chance to suggest.”

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He said his family, with the assistance of church management, tried in vain to convince the two hospitals to have a meeting with the church and them. The father claimed the teen previously underwent several operations whereby alternative ways were used to increase his blood, so he was surprised the facility refused to do the same now.

“We will continue trying to arrange a meeting with the authorities. My child was healthy until he became seven years old and started getting ill. His condition has been getting worse and he has been out of school for two years now. It hurts, as a father, to see him in that condition.”

Several doctors who spoke to The Citizen have confirmed that during a liver transplant a patient can lose a lot of blood, so a transfusion was essential.

Constitutional rights shift for child patients

Shaheda Omar, clinical director for the Teddy Bear Foundation, said members of Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse transfusions based on their interpretation of biblical texts.

For competent adults, this refusal is legally protected under constitutional rights to freedom of religion, bodily autonomy and human dignity. Omar, however, said when the patient was a child, the legal framework shifted significantly.

“Most Children’s Acts [in jurisdictions such as South Africa and others with similar frameworks] are built on the best interests of the child, which is paramount in all matters concerning the child.

“Key principles generally include a child’s right to life, their right to basic health care services and protection from neglect or harm. It is the state’s duty to intervene when a child’s well-being is endangered.”

ALSO READ: Jehovah’s Witnesses must allow kids to have blood transfusions, court rules

Blood transfusions important in liver transplants

When parents refuse life-saving treatment based on religious belief, courts consistently prioritise the child’s right to life over parental religious rights. The law recognises religious freedom – but it does not allow parents to place a child at risk because of those beliefs, she said.

“In liver transplant cases, blood transfusions are often unavoidable. A three-month delay for a transplant significantly increases risk and may constitute medical neglect if the refusal prevents essential treatment.”

Omar said children are independent right holders, not extensions of their parents’ religious identity.

Head of transplants at Wits University Jerome Loveland said they did not receive a formal request about the child’s situation.

“If we receive it, we will follow proper procedures before making a decision.”

The Gauteng department of health has not commented on the issue.

Jehovah’s Witness Mpumalanga spokesperson Kobus van der Merwe said: “We are unable to comment on the situation, since it is a private family matter.”

Why Jehovah’s Witnesses reject transfusions

Jehovah’s Witnesses churches write on its website its members do not have a problem with medical treatment, but reject some of the “unholy “practices”.

“Yes, Jehovah’s Witnesses accept medicine and medical treatment. While we try to take care of our bodies and maintain good health, we sometimes ‘need a doctor’. (Luke 5:31, Easy-to-Read Version)

“In fact, as was the 1st-century Christian Luke, some of Jehovah’s Witnesses are physicians – Colossians 4:14.

“Some treatments conflict with bible principles, though, and we reject these.

“For example, we don’t accept blood transfusions because the bible forbids taking in blood to sustain the body (Acts 15:20). Likewise, the bible prohibits health treatments or procedures that include occult practices – Galatians 5:19-21.”

The article further stated that the vast majority of medical treatments do not conflict with bible principles, therefore, personal choice is involved as one member might decide to accept a particular medicine or treatment, while another might reject that same treatment – Galatians 6:5.