U.K. Court Overrules Jehovah’s Witness Parents, Orders Lifesaving Blood Transfusions in Sane Wailings

I'm very curious to see how many of those 'Pro-life' Christians unequivocally support a British court’s decision that a baby is to undergo lifesaving blood transfusions despite his parents’ religious protestations. Being pro life would mean you're for doing anything to keep a child alive, so I'm thinking they would unanimously stand behind the courts on this one.

"A High Court judge has given permission for a baby boy to undergo blood transfusions during an operation notwithstanding his parents’ objections on religious grounds. Justice Keehan had been told by a specialist that the baby — whose parents are Jehovah’s Witnesses — had complex heart disease and no ”long-term prospect of survival” if he did not have cardiac surgery. The baby’s parents had agreed to surgery but said they could not consent to their son — who is a few weeks old — receiving blood."

Keehan called the parent’s opposition to blood transfusions “understandable,” but ruled in favor of the medical treatment anyway with an eye on the boy’s best interests. Unlike the Seventh-Day Adventists who recently let their baby die of rickets despite assurances by church officials that medical treatment does not violate doctrine, Jehovah’s Witnesses are officially instructed that they may not undergo blood transfusions and that they will be disfellowshipped (shunned) if they do.

So what do you think? With parents in the US being charged with Manslaughter for refusing to let their children get lifesaving treatments... should the courts and the government step in and prevent delusional parents from letting their children die because of their ignorance?

I think this was the right move. The parents at least have an out as they can tell their Church it was done without their consent.

So what right should the court deem more important? The parent's right to religion or the child's right to be alive?

I think this one was a no brainer; the kid should come first before unproven myths held by the parents.

Peter