Court Rules Doctors Can Ignore Patients’ Will
In a landmark test case in France, a court has ruled that doctors can try to save the life of a patient against the person’s will.
The ruling by France’s highest administrative court followed a complaint by the widow of a Jehovah’s Witness who had received a blood transfusion against his explicit instructions.
The patient, who was not identified, later died.
The court ruled that “whatever their obligation to respect the wishes of a patient based on that person’s religious convictions, the doctors were not at fault.â€
The lawyer for the plaintiff said he was considering taking the issue to the European Court of Human Rights.
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