This is the editorial in Denmark's largest newspaper Ekstrabladet, Oct. 21, 1996, on the occassion that a young JW mother died after refusing a blood transfusion. Members of the Watchtower Society Hospital Liason Committee (HLC) had 24-hour guard at her hospital bed. The HLC's objective was reached. She did not receive blood. She died. Here is an English translation of the full editorial:
“THERE ARE MANY WHO HAVE REASON to have a bad conscience because of the 24-year old mother who died on Hvidovre hospital Tuesday.
First, there are the members of Jehovah's Witnesses' Hospital Liason Committee who were on the hospital to influence the patient to not accept an absolutely necessary blood transfusion.
Secondly, there are those medical doctors who did not make the most of the loopholes in the Health Committee's ("Sundhedsstyrelsen") circular so they could give the patient the necessary blood anyway.
And finally it is the Health Committee's Michael von Magnus, who - assumedly under pressure from Jehovah's Witnesses - worked out the relevant circular, which gives doctors unreasonable working conditions in life-threatening situations.
Let's start with Jehovah's Witnesses. The sect has the eccentric idea that it is against the will of some god to accept a blood transfusion. This weird idea they are welcome to walk about having fun with, but it's directly disgusting when they meet up at hospitals and try to influence sick members to not accept blood. Especially then under threats of disfellowshipping from teh sect, which often is all the victim's circle of acquaintances, as well as loss of salvation from the side of Mr. Jehovah.
The result was in this case the tragedy that a young mother died from her newborn chold, and for these people there are no excuses. Also, one can speculate whether it is bordering to violating the penal code's paragraph 240 about 'contributing to someone's suicide.'
The medical doctors also failed. Just after the extremely compicated birth they asked the patient if she wanted a blood transfusion, and received no. Therefor they were tied by the circular's paragraph 14, but when an infection also came, and the situation worsened, they should have explained the patient how serious the condition was, and asked again. This is obvious from the same paragraph's second subsection. And if the patient was without he full senses, they could give blood anyway after paragraph 12.
Instead, they asked the guards from Jehovah's Witnesses, and from them the answer was of course no.
This was a mistake, but it can be difficult to keep the outlook in this kind of tense and complex situations.
Finally, it was the Health Committee, first and foremost Michael von Magnus, who created the circular in 1992.
We cannot now what reasons he have had, but can simply demonstrate that it gives the doctors completely impossible working conditions when lifes are at stake. At the same time as they shall use their medical qualifications at their best, they are also obliged to have on their mind who have permission to do what, and whether they violate the circular's paragraph 14.
The duty of medical doctors is to save life, not to be a service-organization for a macabre sect's eccentric ideas.
Therefor, this circular should be removed.”
from Recent news reports on blood and Jehovah's Witnesses
Her name was Dina Mainz. Source: The norwegian weekly magazine Allers, no. 50-1996.