Article From The Los Angeles Times By Jadine Russell

Freedom of religion seems straightforward. Those who possess this freedom exercise it in different ways; some of which are quite unique. An article from the Los Angeles Times describes a car accident in which Jadine Russell was struck by a drunk driver, and subsequently lost her life. The driver, Keith Cook, had a previous DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and was still on probation for that crime. However, the charge of murder was hotly contested by Cook’s lawyers. Russell was a Jehovah’s witness, an in accordance with her religion, she chose not to accept potentially lifesaving medical intervention. The doctors treating Russell wanted to give her blood to compensate for blood loss due to her hemorrhaging ruptured spleen. Although Russell

According to a breathalyzer test by on-scene police officers, Keith was driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 which is well over the legal limit. Due to his inebriated state and reckless driving, Cook crashed into a car which was consequently thrust into another vehicle, pinning Russell and three other people between a car and a fence. Russell was the most severely injured victim; her injuries included a broken leg, fractured ribs, and the most devastating: a ruptured spleen which was leaking blood into her abdomen. Cook’s decision caused her injuries, and if not for his destructive behavior, Russell would have never been in the position of making a choice between her life, and her religion. Cook’s lawyers argued that he shouldn’t be at fault for Russell’s death because she refused a blood tranfusion, and Russell did in fact tell medical staff “No blood, no blood!” over ten times, according to her family. And although she could have accepted the blood transfusion, there was no guarantee that it would have prevented her

Doctors immediately tried to hang blood bags due to Russell’s significant blood loss. When she protested, the doctors tried to reason with Russell and her family. Because of their devotion to their religion, all members of the family refused the transfusion. After an operation to remove her ruptured spleen, the surgeons could have given Russell a blood transfusion to negate the effects of blood loss. Again, the doctors were sternly dismissed. Cook’s advocates tried to use this against Russell; they insinuated that she was at fault for her own death because she did not have a blood transfusion. Dr. Jordan Goodstein addressed Russell’s actions while also defending her by making this statement, “Certainly, I wish she would have taken a transfusion, but that wasn’t what killed her. What killed her was the injury and the consequences of the injury.” Russell’s official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the abdomen, which ruptured her spleen. The shock caused loss of blood that pooled in her abdomen. Even with the blood transfusion, Russell would have only had a 70%-80% of living. Complications are common after splenectomies. According to Mayo Clinic infections, hemorrhaging, blood clots, and damage to nearby organs can be consequences of a