ClaimBlood doctrinesupported1980sOutcome

Blood doctrine · Claim record

In Re L.D.K. (Ontario, 1985) a judge declined to authorise transfusions for 12-year-old Lisa Kosack, who had leukaemia; she died shortly afterwards.

Claim ID claim-blood-case-ldk-kosackConcerns 1985Outcome

The claim and its evidence

Outcome · 1985 Supported

In Re L.D.K. (Ontario, 1985) a judge declined to authorise transfusions for 12-year-old Lisa Kosack, who had leukaemia; she died shortly afterwards. Source: Ontario Provincial Court (Family Division), 1985Source: Supreme Court of Canada, 26 June 2009Source: jwdivorces.bravehost.com, 19 September 2026 (unverified)Source: Awake!, 22 May 1994

The organisation’s position or later explanation: Featured in Awake! 22 May 1994 as an example of youthful faith.

Show the evidence (4 sources)
Official public record Supported

Ontario Provincial Court (Family Division), “Re L.D.K. (1985), 48 R.F.L. (2d) 164”

1985 · Main Prov. J. · Reports of Family Law

“(judgment not opened)”

Lisa D. Kosack, 12, Oakville, Ontario, acute myeloid leukaemia; Judge David R. Main refused the Children's Aid Society/hospital application to authorise transfusions; she went home and died shortly afterwards.

Provenance and verification note for Ontario Provincial Court (Family Division), Re L.D.K. (1985), 48 R.F.L. (2d) 164

Confidence note. Citation verified as real via the SCC's list of authorities in A.C. v Manitoba (official PDF opened). Case details from a discovery compilation (jwdivorces) and the organisation's own Awake! 22 May 1994 (lead-verified).

Corroborated by. src-scc-2009-ac-v-manitoba, src-jwdivorces-1980s-cases, src-g-1994-0522-power-beyond-normal

Notes. The court permitted the refusal; death followed.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-ont-1985-re-ldk

Official public record Verified

Supreme Court of Canada, “A.C. v. Manitoba (Director of Child and Family Services), 2009 SCC 30, [2009] 2 S.C.R. 181”

26 June 2009 · pp.para. 87; headnote · para. 87 · Abella J. (majority); Binnie J. dissenting · Supreme Court of Canada

“The more a court is satisfied that a child is capable of making a mature, independent decision on his or her own behalf, the greater the weight that will be given to his or her views when a court is exercising its discretion under s. 25(8).”

A.C., aged 14 years 10 months, admitted with lower GI bleeding from Crohn's disease; had signed an advance directive refusing blood; order of the applications judge dated 16 April 2006; the 'best interests' standard 'operates as a sliding scale of scrutiny'. 'Appeal dismissed, Binnie J. dissenting.' The list of authorities cites Re L.D.K. (1985), 48 R.F.L. (2d) 164 and Re A.Y. (1993), 111 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 91.

Provenance and verification note for Supreme Court of Canada, A.C. v. Manitoba (Director of Child and Family Services), 2009 SCC 30, [2009] 2 S.C.R. 181

Confidence note. Opened the official SCC PDF (114 pp., bilingual); quotations and facts confirmed.

Scan provenance. Official SCC PDF of the reported judgment (S.C.R.), retrieved by curl

Corroborated by. src-crin-ac-v-manitoba

Notes. The court overrode the refusal; A.C. survived; costs awarded to her.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-scc-2009-ac-v-manitoba

Discovery source only Unverified

jwdivorces.bravehost.com, “1980s MINORS Blood Transfusion Court Cases”

19 September 2026 · private ex-member compilation

“(locator only)”

Entry 'In re Lisa D. Kosack (1985)': 12, Oakville, Ontario, AML, Judge David R. Main refused the application; she died shortly after going home.

Provenance and verification note for jwdivorces.bravehost.com, 1980s MINORS Blood Transfusion Court Cases

Confidence note. Discovery-tier; used to locate the case and to corroborate names/dates with Awake! 1994 and the SCC citation.

Corroborated by. src-ont-1985-re-ldk

Notes. Undated web page; the date recorded is the access date.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-jwdivorces-1980s-cases

Primary JW publication Verified

Awake!, “Youths Who Have ‘Power Beyond What Is Normal’”

22 May 1994 · pp.9-15 · Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.

“After a long, difficult night, at 6:30 a.m., September 22, 1993, Lenae fell asleep in death in the arms of her mother.”

The article profiles four young people: Lenae Martinez, 12, Fresno, California, leukaemia — recorded as having died on 22 September 1993; the New York seventeen-year-old, 17, New York City, inflammatory bowel disease — ‘Crystal never needed blood, and none was ever transfused’; Lisa Kosack, 12, Toronto, acute myeloid leukaemia — ‘She died peacefully at home, in the loving arms of her mother and father’; E.G., 17, Chicago, leukaemia — ‘Ernestine had no further transfusions, and she did not die from her leukemia.’ E.G. (par. 59) was transfused once under a trial-court order 'in spite of her vigorous protests'; the Illinois Appellate Court and the Illinois Supreme Court then upheld her right to refuse (pars. 60-61), and the article records that she 'had no further transfusions, and she did not die from her leukemia' (par. 63).

Provenance and verification note for Awake!, Youths Who Have ‘Power Beyond What Is Normal’

Confidence note. Opened on the Watchtower Online Library on 19 September 2026; names, ages, places and outcome sentences confirmed from the article text.

Corroborated by. src-g-1994-0522-contents

Notes. Together with the first article, the issue names six young people: three recorded as having died and three recorded as alive at the time of writing.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-g-1994-0522-power-beyond-normal

Claim page

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-blood-case-ldk-kosack/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.