In a way, religion can also be a barrier to receiving medical treatment, and healthcare providers need to be very careful when dealing with patients of certain religions. Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, will not consent to blood transfusions in most cases based on interpretations of lines in the Bible concerning the consumption of blood. This belief applies even in emergency situations, and a member of the religion who willingly accepts a blood transfusion risks being shunned by other Jehovah’s Witnesses, including their own family. Doctors do their best to heal people, but they also have to respect the wishes of their patients when they deny treatments, even if they believe the decision is not in their best interest. What about minors though? Anyone over 16 has the right to make their own medical decisions, but what if someone younger than that was in need of a medical treatment, but refused it? While Canada has clear rules regarding religious freedoms, there are also rules in place to protect the welfare of children.
This became an issue when a 14 year old Jehovah’s Witness from Winnipeg was admitted to a hospital due to gastrointestinal bleeding caused by Crohn’s disease. The girl’s doctor felt that the bleeding posed an imminent risk to her life, and proposed a blood transfusion as part of her treatment. The girl, referred to only as ‘A.C.’ in court documents due to her age, refused the blood transfusion based upon her religious beliefs. Child and Family Services were brought in, and were granted a treatment order by a Manitoba court that allowed the doctor to give A.C. a blood transfusion against her will. In 2009, years after the transfusion, the case made its way to the Supreme Court of Canada, and is indexed as ‘A.C. v. Manitoba (Director of Child and Family Services). The Supreme Court ruled in Manitoba’s favour, though not unanimously.
For this assignment, you will need to imagine that this case is still in front of the Supreme Court of Canada, and that you are a world renowned expert in either the field of Sociology, Anthropology, or Psychology. You have been asked to study the case and address the court with your findings. You may choose to side with either A.C. or Manitoba, and should work to provide clear reasons for your decision based upon the discipline you have chosen to be an expert in. You are not expected to know the ins and outs of Supreme Court procedure, but should try to be somewhat formal as you are addressing the highest court in Canada!
The expected length for this assignment is 500 – 750 words. Be sure to cite any and all sources appropriately.
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