Autonomy or Survival: Should Blood Be Administered to a Child Jehovah’s Witness?

The patient considered is a Jehovah’s Witness, but what does that imply? Jehovah's Witnesses are a distinct subgroup of Christianity. They differ from mainstream Christians because they deny the Trinity by believing that Jehovah, is the sole God in the Bible. Their beliefs tell them to abstain from blood. This refusal poses an ethical dilemma for physicians, especially when a critically ill minor Jehovah's Witness needs a blood transfusion. By contrasting Mill’s utilitarianism and Kant’s ethical rationalism framework, ethical rationalism is found to be more convincing as it prioritizes…