Blood transfusion

JapanReported

Five Jehovah's Witnesses sue Okinawa Prefecture, saying public hospitals refused to treat them unless they consented to transfusion

Illustration: an unsigned form and pen on a hospital reception counter before a closed door, with a small ferry pier and open water beyond

Filed in the Naha District Court on 18 May 2026 and reported in late August, the suit seeks about ¥16.74 million in damages and, Ryukyu Shimpo reports, a ruling that the policy at two prefectural hospitals is invalid. The plaintiffs say they were turned away for declining to sign a transfusion consent form; the hospitals say they are examining the complaint and cannot comment. The allegations are unproven and the first hearing is listed for 16 September.

· August 27, 2026 · 6 min read

BrazilConfirmed

Brazil's Supreme Court lists 30 September to resume its judgment on transfusions given against a patient's refusal

Illustration: a wall calendar with one date circled above a judicial bench rail holding two case files, an open statute book and an hourglass

On 28 August 2026 the STF's president, Edson Fachin, put ADPF 618 and ADPF 642 on the plenary calendar for 30 September. The merits judgment opened in a virtual session in 2025 and has been suspended twice by justices asking to study the file; the dockets record two justices' positions. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania and the Associação das Testemunhas Cristãs de Jeová are admitted friends of the court in ADPF 618.

· August 28, 2026 · 10 min read