Two more women who are members of the Jehovah's Witness congregation in Ireland are due to give birth at Dublin's Coombe hospital, the congregation has told the High Court.
It is seeking to be joined to legal proceedings in which a court order was made to administer a blood transfusion to a woman member of the congregation against her religious beliefs.
The transfusion order was secured by the Coombe Women's Hospital on grounds that the life of the woman was in danger. The woman had refused to have the transfusion when she suffered a massive haemorrhage after giving birth.
The court proceedings relating to this matter, Mr Justice Frank Clarke was told yesterday, are of "extraordinary importance" to the congregation. The judge said he would give at a later stage his decision on whether the congregation should be joined to the action brought by the hospital against the woman, known as Ms K.
Ms K gave birth at the Coombe on September 21st last but suffered a haemorrhage afterwards and lost 80 per cent of her blood. A Jehovah's Witness from the Democratic Republic of Congo, she refused to consent to the transfusion and, on grounds of the hospital's belief that she would die without the transfusion, the hospital secured an emergency court order to give it.
In court yesterday, Simon Mills for the congregation - the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Ireland - wished to be joined as co-defendant or notice party to the court proceedings brought by the hospital against Ms K and the Attorney General.
The court heard the Attorney General was adopting a neutral position on the society's application while the hospital opposed it.
Mr Mills said there were unusual circumstances to the case. Two women who were Jehovah's Witness were booked to give birth at the Coombe. If the society was not joined to the action, the entire burden would fall on Ms K, which would not be appropriate or just."It is a real and live issue which has profound effects for the Jehovah's Witnesses," he said.
Gerard Hogan SC, for the hospital, said the question was whether a group which shares a general interest in the issues in the case was entitled to come into court and step into the shoes of Ms K. If that was the case, then political parties, trade unions or other religions could seek to be joined in proceedings, he argued.
In an affidavit opened to the court, Arthur Matthews of Watch Tower, Newcastle, Co Wicklow, said most female Jehovah's Witness patients, when faced with a life-threatening emergency where the only alternatives remaining are allogenic blood transfusion or hysterectomy, would accept the hysterectomy as "a procedure of last resort" even though they understand it would prevent further child bearing.
One of the fundamental tenets of the faith was "the sanctity of life and blood" and the command to "keep abstaining from blood" was "a core value"for Witnesses.
"This command, which means Witnesses don't take human life, also prohibits the taking of blood into their bodies, including the acceptance of blood transfusion."