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Blood doctrine · Claim record

In Re E (1990, reported 1993) Ward J overrode a 15¾-year-old Witness's refusal, saying the court 'should be very slow to allow a child to martyr himself'; on reaching 18 he refused further blood and died.

Claim ID claim-blood-case-re-eConcerns 21 September 1990Outcome
Outcome · 21 September 1990 Supported

In Re E (1990, reported 1993) Ward J overrode a 15¾-year-old Witness's refusal, saying the court 'should be very slow to allow a child to martyr himself'; on reaching 18 he refused further blood and died. High Court (Family Division), England and Wales, 21 September 1990Denning Law Journal, 2007Law & Religion UK (blog), 21 December 2021

Show the evidence (3 sources)
Official public record Supported

High Court (Family Division), England and Wales, “Re E (A Minor) (Wardship: Medical Treatment) [1993] 1 FLR 386”

21 September 1990 · Ward J. · Family Law Reports

“should be very slow to allow a child to martyr himself”

Boy of 15¾ with leukaemia; treatment with blood products offered an 80-90% chance of remission; he and his parents refused; Ward J authorised treatment. He later refused blood on reaching majority and died.

No online copy located.

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Judgment not opened (paywalled/unreported online). Wording and outcome taken from Ziebart, Denning Law Journal 2007 (opened) and the Law & Religion UK note (opened), which agree.

Corroborated by. src-dlj-2007-ziebart, src-lawreligionuk-2021-ef

Notes. Decision date 21 Sept 1990 per secondary sources; reported 1993.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-ewhc-1993-re-e

Peer-reviewed / scholarly Verified

Denning Law Journal, “Jehovah's Witnesses – Medical Care, Minors and the Religious Rite/Right”

2007 · pp.vol. 19, pp. 219-247 · David Ziebart · University of Buckingham Press

“E maintained his religious convictions throughout his life and on reaching the age of majority, refused all blood-based treatment and subsequently died.”

Quotes Ward J in Re E: the court 'should be very slow to allow a child to martyr himself'; boy of 15¾, 80-90% remission with blood products. Also quotes Lord Donaldson in Re T on the right of choice existing whether reasons are 'rational, irrational, unknown or even non-existent'.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. PDF opened and text extracted.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-dlj-2007-ziebart

Peer-reviewed / scholarly Verified

Law & Religion UK (blog), “Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusions for 16- and 17-year-olds: E & F”

21 December 2021 · Elijah Z. Granet · Law & Religion UK

“Once a young person becomes an adult, decisions about whether to accept or reject medical treatment become theirs absolutely, but before that age the court must act upon its objective assessment of the young person's best interests”

Quoting E & F (Minors: Blood Transfusion) [2021] EWCA Civ 1888; also cites Ward J's 'very slow to allow an infant to martyr himself'.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Opened.

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-lawreligionuk-2021-ef

Claim page

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