[Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusion--legal aspects].

The attitude of Jehovah's Witnesses to blood transfusion raises both judicial and ethical questions. These questions are discussed in this article. An interpretation of Section 387 of the Penal Code by the Legal Department at the Norwegian Ministry of Justice causes unintended and unnecessary trouble for Jehovah's Witnesses. This interpretation is compared with judicial and ethical expert opinions in Norway. The predominant view regarding patient rights in various other countries is presented and compared with the Norwegian view. Finally, some references are made to the medical literature that has become available during the last decades on the many bloodless major surgical operations that have been carried out.