HOW TO SAVE A LIFE?

At the moment in Auckland there is a two year old girl who has a rare kidney disease and needs a life saving kidney and liver transplant.

Her parents are Jehovah's Witnesses and as part of their religion, they do not agree with blood transfusions. This is when donated blood is used to replace blood lost either in an emergency or as part of surgery. Church members who have had blood transfusions are sometimes disowned by their family and the church and there is a belief that those will then be unworthy of salvation in the next life.

They believe that an organ transplant is acceptable, but only if a blood transfusion is not required. However, it is not always known if a transfusion will be needed and sometimes people need a transfusion when having any sort of operation.

The doctors want to save the girl's life by going ahead with the operation, but the parents want to make sure her place in the next life is saved, so will not agree to it going ahead.

Who is right? Who should be given the job of making this decision...the doctor...the parents...someone else?
What do you think?