Refusal of blood by Jehovah's Witnesses and the patient's right to self-determination.

Jehovah's Witnesses love life and do whatever is reasonable in order to prolong it. Hence, they seek quality health care and accept the vast majority of medical treatments. However, for Bible-based religious reasons, Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept allogeneic blood transfusion. Instead, they request nonblood alternatives. We will discuss medical and legal aspects concerning this position of Jehovah's Witnesses and the patient's right to self-determination. Also, the treatment for minors often becomes an issue. When a patient is a mature minor, his wishes should be respected. In the case of a minor patient lacking decision-making capacity, the wishes of the parents should be respected as much as possible.