A teenage girl who urgently requires surgery can, if necessary, be administered blood or blood products against the wishes of herself and her parents, all members of the Jehovah’s Witness faith, the president of the High Court has ordered. David Leahy BL, for the HSE, sought the orders in an ex parte application, one side only represented, on Friday afternoon. Mr Justice Kelly said court applications for leave to administer blood or blood products against the wishes of members of the Jehovah’s Witness faith, while not a regular occurrence, are not unusual. The right to life trumps the entitlement of the girl and her parents to their religious views, he said. The application for administering of blood or blood products was being made in terms of a contingency which might not arise, he said.

Source: The Irish Times January 31, 2020 17:48 UTC