An Ecuadorian woman, now residing in Spain, is taking legal action against the entire country. Her grievance stems from a life-saving blood transfusion she received, allegedly administered against her staunch objection as a devout Jehovah's Witness.
From Oddity Central:
Rosa Edelmira Pindo Mulla, an Ecuadorian woman living in Spain, claims to be a victim of “medical paternalism”, due to her nationality and religion. In 2017, following a series of medical examinations, the 53-year-old woman was advised to undergo surgery. In 2018, before the procedure, Pindo Mulla was presented with three documents to fill out – an advance directive, a long-term power of attorney, and an informed consent form. She claims to have specifically mentioned in all three that she was a Jehova’s Witness and that she refused to receive any kind of blood transfusion (blood, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets or plasma), even at the cost of her own life. After suffering a life-threatening hemorrhage during surgery, she received a blood transfusion, and she has been seeking justice ever since…
In March 2020, Rosa Edelmira Pindo Mulla filed an application with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which rules on violations of the European Convention on Human Rights in the 46 countries that ratified it. She had previously sought justice in a Madrid court of law, and at the Spanish Constitutional Court, but her case was dismissed by both.
The Spanish government was notified about the controversial case in March of 2021, and in the summer of last year, the Chamber to which the case had been allocated relinquished jurisdiction in favor of the Grand Chamber. This sort of thing occurs due to a lack of jurisprudence or when the matter deserves a more in-depth examination.
This story has its complexities. On one side of the coin, some might perceive the woman as a bit unreasonable, given that the transfusion ultimately saved her life. However, flipping to the other side, her perspective becomes clear – this intervention clashed with her deeply held personal beliefs.
