The work depicts a confrontation with a key ethical dilemma, a rejection of blood transfusion by Jehovah's Witnesses. A theme that has already many frictions in itself is even more difficult to discuss when we talk about the cases of rejection of treatment for children, by their parents. Many physicians are thus confronted with a difficult dilemma whether to save the life of a child and act against the will of his or her parents, or to respect the religious position of the parents and to intervene by alternative routes of treatment, which are much more risky. Poor comunication and inability to hear the arguments between parents and the medical staff (zdravstveno osebje) leads to the treatment of a case in courts. In the assignment we strived for the most equivalent presentation and evaluation of views, both the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses as well as medicine and law. The work encourages us to take on the path of critical reflection on the issue of the autonomy of the patient and the patient's legal agents (gardiens) in connection with the problem of blood transfusion in cases of Jehovah's Witnesses children.
With the aim of promoting better communication and a high degree of understanding of both aspects, the work initially presents the religious beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, followed by a presentation of the provisions of the medical ethics and Slovenian legislation regarding the topic under consideration. In addition to the study of literature in this area, we also rely on two interviews in the design of the work: the first one with Mr. Branko Klarič, who works in the committee of Jehovah's Witnesses as a contact with hospitals, and the other with Marko Kavčič, MD-a hematologist and pediatrician.
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