Editing Blood transfusion (section)

=== Personal objections ===
Sometimes people refuse blood transfusions because of fears about the safety of the blood supply.<ref name=":6" />  Generally speaking, the rules of [[informed consent]] allow mentally [[Competence (law)|competent]] adults to refuse blood transfusions even when their objections are based on [[misinformation]] or [[prejudice]] and even when their refusal may result in serious and permanent harm, including death.<ref name=":6" />  For example, since [[COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccines]] became available, some people have refused blood transfusions because the donor might have been vaccinated, and they [[Vaccine_hesitancy#Blood_transfusion|fear that this would cause secondhand harm to them]].<ref name=":6" />  This choice is based on false beliefs, but a mentally competent adult's choices are normally respected.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Daniel H. |last2=Berkman |first2=Emily |last3=Clark |first3=Jonna D. |last4=Saifee |first4=Nabiha H. |last5=Diekema |first5=Douglas S. |last6=Lewis-Newby |first6=Mithya |date=2023 |title=Parental Refusals of Blood Transfusions from COVID-19 Vaccinated Donors for Children Needing Cardiac Surgery |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38661995 |journal=Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics |volume=13 |issue=3 |pages=215–226 |doi=10.1353/nib.2023.a924193 |issn=2157-1740 |pmid=38661995}}</ref>  However, if doctor's opinions are that parents and guardians are making harmful choices about children, they can be overruled (in some jurisdictions) using legal arguments based on the [[harm principle]]; in this case if doctors believe that refusing the blood transfusion would put the child at risk of serious injury or death.<ref name=":8" />  Blood banks do not collect information that is irrelevant to the transfusion process, including the donors' race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, COVID-19 vaccination status, etc., so selecting blood units based on the individual's personal objections is not practical.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":8" />