Testigos de Jehová y transfusión sanguínea. Reflexión desde una ética natural

Abstract

Jehovah's Witnesses rejection on receiving blood transfusion has always represented an ethical conflict for physicians and a problem for doctor-patient relationship. The reason of their rejection, is based on one of God's commandment written in the Bible. For them, the fact of accepting this therapy means such a spiritual loss that it appears to them intolerable and they prefer to die before accepting a transfusion. This paper analyzes this conflict from a natural ethical perspective, where a physician who is seeking for his patient's health, understands that health is not all the good that a being of personal nature seeks. The physician must accept that some therapies, even if available, may be considered as disproportionate and not be implemented. In these situations, the physician and health institutions should establish the necessary dispositions to ensure that this kind of decisions may be taken with proper information, confidentiality, liberty and absence of coercion.