ClaimBlood doctrinesupported1990sOutcome

Blood doctrine · Claim record

Lenae Martinez, 12, died of leukaemia in Fresno on 22 September 1993 after the hospital's ethics committee treated her as a mature minor and did not seek a court order.

Claim ID claim-blood-case-martinezConcerns 22 September 1993Outcome

The claim and its evidence

Outcome · 22 September 1993 Supported

Lenae Martinez, 12, died of leukaemia in Fresno on 22 September 1993 after the hospital's ethics committee treated her as a mature minor and did not seek a court order. Source: Awake!, 22 May 1994Source: jwdivorces.bravehost.com, 19 September 2026 (unverified)

The organisation’s position or later explanation: Featured in Awake! 22 May 1994.

Show the evidence (2 sources)
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

Discovery source only Unverified

jwdivorces.bravehost.com, “1990s MINORS Blood Transfusion Court Cases”

19 September 2026 · private ex-member compilation

“on September 22, 1993, a second child of Jehovah's Witnesses parents died at Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno. That child's named was Lenae Martinez.”

States the hospital treated the 12-year-old as a 'mature minor' and did not seek a court order.

Provenance and verification note for jwdivorces.bravehost.com, 1990s MINORS Blood Transfusion Court Cases

Confidence note. Discovery-tier; consistent with Awake! 22 May 1994 (lead-verified).

Corroborated by. src-g-1994-0522-power-beyond-normal

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

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-jwdivorces-1990s-cases

Claim page

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