Religion

Court over-rides parents decision to refuse treatment for infant

May 10th, 2012 by | Permalink

Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, where parents were taken to court in order for hospital to perform potentially life saving open heart surgery. Photo via public domain.

A Texas Judge has shot down a parental decision to withhold life saving treatment from their infant son, Gabriel Zepeda, 2-months-old. The infant is in need of heart surgery and blood transfusions in order to sustain his life. The baby’s parents, who have not yet been identified, are Jehovah’s Witness and refused the treatment based on the rules of their faith.

Dr. Douglas Moodie, a Pediatric Cardiologist, petitioned the court to intervene, stating the boy would likely die without the surgery. Moodie, testified by phone, saying that the infant was born with holes in his heart and his cardiovascular system was ‘quickly flooding his lungs with blood’.

According to the Houston Chronicle, most hospitals have the ability to perform ‘bloodless’ operations, but in this case, the Dr. Moodie said he wanted blood as a backup in case of an emergency.

Gabriel is said to be in ‘good condition’, according to a hospital spokesperson. It is not known if the surgery has been performed yet. The court order allows the hospital to perform the surgery with necessary precautions until May 23.

Filed under: Religion

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  • BeenBurned

    A conservative estimate of the deaths of Jehovahs Witnesses since the blood ban went into effect 1945 is 50,000 dead,men,women,CHILDREN.May be as high as 150,000.

    Lower figure is 50 times more than died at Jones Town kool-aid mass murder.

    The Jehovah Witnesses blood transfusion ban is DEADLY! It is not from the God or the Bible it is man-made.

  • http://www.facebook.com/haszard Danny Haszard

    Thanks for posting and creating an awareness of the Jehovah’s Witnesses *blood transfusion confusion*.
    In 2012 God’s will and scripture got nothing to do with the Jehovah’s Witnesses position on use of blood products.

    It is 100 percent what will play out in a secular court of law as to the parent Watchtower being held liable for deaths.Most Jehovah’s Witnesses rushed to the ER with massive blood loss will scream NO BLOOD right up to their last breath,The shocker is they can NOW have most of the blood components that will pull them through,but they are so indoctrinated that blood is forbidden that they can’t comprehend the loopholes.The Watchtower has drilled and grilled us that our STAND ON BLOOD IS NON NEGOTIABLE.The loopholes that allow blood usage is to save the Watchtower corporation money from blood death liability suits.This is a truly evil organization that would sacrifice tens of thousands of men,women,children for the almighty dollar.

    The blood products ban has been in force since 1945 the buzz today about it being a *personal conscience matter* and the hope of new medical advances like artificial blood don’t undo all those who have past perished.The New York city based Watchtower sect is concerned foremost with liability lawsuits for wrongful death.They know that if they repeal the ban on *whole* blood transfusion,that it will open the door for legal examination of all the thousands who have died since 1945.
    –Danny Haszard

  • MeredithKendall

    This is hard for me to fathom. As a parent, I would violate any moral code to save my kid if push comes to shove. 
    I hate that this sort of thing has to even go through a judge. If an adult wants to let themselves die over something like this, so be it. There simply should not be any question with minors, though.

  • margarett

    Dying   ‘after’   refusing blood doesn’t equal dying  ’from’  refusing blood.  However, ‘one’ blood transfusion infected all of Mr Paul Michael Glazier’s family with AIDS.  

    Also, they steal “healing power” that the body needs, in that the body is now dealing with expelling and replacing the foreign liquid tissue.

    God holds nothing back from us that is good.   The true evidence is ‘blood’ transfusions are never good.  
    Exaggerations are wishes, and lies.

    Judge a trees integrity by examining its leaves.  Examine the pages of our blood brochure “How Can Blood Save Your Life.”  Regards.

 
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