Jehovah's Ethical Dilemmas

Running Head: BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS AND JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES 1
The Ethical Dilemma Concerning Blood Transfusions and Jehovah's Witnesses Raquel Henriquez, Damaris Contreras, and Sangeetha Francis Kennesaw State University
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS AND JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES 2
The Ethical Dilemma Concerning Blood Transfusions and Jehovah's Witnesses
Charles Taze Russell was the founder of the faith Jehovah's Witnesses. The religion dictates its followers to be politically neutral, not to celebrate Christmas or birthdays, and not to accept blood transfusions (Chand, Subramanya, & Rao, 2014). The last point in the previous sentence is what creates an ethical dilemma for nurses and for the healthcare team in general. A battle of the conscience ensues within …show more content…
Alternative treatments must be implemented so that no matter what, the patient receives the best care possible and is not discriminated against. Being able to care holistically for the patient and being able to stand by ethical principles is a responsibility that medics and nurses must always adopt. With today's growing technology, other treatments will become available and nurses must always discuss what the patient is willing to do regarding his or her …show more content…
An example of this moral principle would be if a patient, who is a Jehovah's Witness and who has a severe form of sickle cell disease, is told by the nurse that the doctor has a blood transfusion ordered for him. However, the patient mentions that he cannot accept a blood transfusion due to his faith and the nurse reassures the patient that she will notify the physician. The physician comes into the room to discuss other treatment options to the patient. The nurse did what she told the patient she would do and stayed true to her word. Fidelity enables a trusting relationship between the patient and the nurse. By gaining trust from the patient, the healthcare professional team is able to give quality care to the patient by making the interaction to the patient more effective and

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Presentation: Blood Transfusion and Patient Essay