Blood Refusal Raises Risk for Death from Maternal Hemorrhage

Major obstetric hemorrhage is the most common cause of serious maternal morbidity and associated death. Jehovah's Witnesses who adhere to certain biblical teachings might refuse whole-blood transfusions but not blood constituents such as coagulation factors or erythropoietin.

In a retrospective Dutch case study based on national data from 1983 to 2007, Jehovah's Witnesses constituted 20% of maternal deaths caused by obstetric hemorrhage. The total maternal mortality ratio for Jehovah's Witnesses (68/100,000 live births) was 6 times greater than that in the general population; risk for death from obstetric hemorrhage was 130 times greater. Rate of serious maternal morbidity caused by hemorrhage was 3 times higher in Jehovah's Witnesses than i…