Judge ruled children could have ‘life-saving’ treatment after parents refused

A judge gave doctors permission to give “potentially life-saving” medical treatment to three children whose parents refused to give consent.

Two boys were from Jehovah’s Witness families who opposed blood transfusions on religious grounds. One was being treated for brain cancer and the other had a blocked kidney.

The parents of the third child refused a tetanus jag for their daughter, who was bitten by the family dog, because they “disputed the medical science” behind it.

In findings published at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Judge Lord Braid said each child came from “loving parents”, but their welfare outweighed any family objections.

Two of the actions were by Greater Glasgow Health Board and the third was from Borders Health Board.

The first case concerned a 13-year-old boy who was suffering from an aggressive brain cancer called medulloblastoma.

The court heard that the boy has severe autism and cannot verbally communicate, and is unable to make decisions about his welfare.

Doctors concluded that radiotherapy and chemotherapy offered him the best chance for survival.

But this treatment carried a high risk of the boy contracting anaemia, which could require an urgent blood transfusion in order to avoid death.