[Consent of Jehovah's Witnesses to treatment with blood preparations: legal and ethical aspects].

A specific situation in medical practice involves a contact with the philosophy of life represented by Jehovah's Witnesses and their refusal to receive blood transfusions. The objective of the present study is to present legal problems related to the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses to refuse treatment with blood and its derivatives. In addition to the presentation of the regulations, the authors emphasize the aspects of such regulations and their interpretation which may cause doubts to emerge among the clinicians. The legally unacceptable situation is also stressed, wherein the treatment is instituted without the patient's consent or despite his refusal, even if such treatment is administered by the physician positive as to his most noble motivation. Selected ethical issues associated with this problem are also presented, along with the stance of international conventions on human rights and biomedical aspects.