17. What position did a 14-year-old girl take about being given blood, with what result?

¹⁷ Matters may turn out differently for a minor well instructed in God’s ways and actively walking in His truth. A younger Christian had the same rare type of cancer. The girl and her parents understood and accepted modified chemotherapy from a specialist at a noted hospital. Still, the case was taken to court. The judge wrote: “D.P. testified she would resist having a blood transfusion in any way that she could. She considered a transfusion an invasion of her body and compared it to rape. She asked the Court to respect her choice and permit her to continue at [the hospital] without Court ordered blood transfusions.” The Christian instruction she had received came to her aid at this difficult time.​—See box.

18. (a) An afflicted girl took what firm stand about receiving blood? (b) What did the judge decide about her treatment?

¹⁸ A 12-year-old girl was being treated for leukemia. A child-welfare agency took the matter to court so that blood could be forced on her. The judge concluded: “L. has told this court clearly and in a matter-of-fact way that, if an attempt is made to transfuse her with blood, she will fight that transfusion with all of the strength that she can muster. She has said, and I believe her, that she will scream and struggle and that she will pull the injecting device out of her arm and will attempt to destroy the blood in the bag over her bed. I refuse to make any order which would put this child through that ordeal . . . With this patient, the treatment proposed by the hospital addresses the disease only in a physical sense. It fails to address her emotional needs and her religious beliefs.”

[Box on page 17]

THE COURT WAS IMPRESSED

What did the court decision state regarding D.P., mentioned in paragraph 17?

“The Court was most impressed with the intelligence, poise, dignity, and forcefulness of this 14-1/2 year old youngster. She may have been overwhelmed by the discovery that she had a deadly form of cancer . . . Nevertheless, it was a mature young person who came to Court to testify. She appeared to have focused clearly on the difficult task facing her. She had attended all counseling sessions, agreed to a plan of therapy, developed a coherent philosophy on how she as a human being would face this medical challenge, and she came to the Court with the poignant request: respect my decision . . .

“In addition to her maturity, D.P. has expressed sufficient grounds for her decision for the Court to respect it. Spiritually, psychologically, morally, and emotionally she would be harmed by a treatment plan which included blood transfusions. The Court will respect her choice of treatment plan.”