Jehovah’s Witnesses, blood transfusions and the CJEU: AG’s Opinion in A v Veselības ministrija

Advocate General Hogan has delivered his Opinion in A v Veselības ministrija [2020] ECJ C‑243/19, on a request from the Supreme Court of Latvia for a preliminary ruling by the CJEU on the extent to which a National Health Service is obliged to accommodate the religious objections to particular forms of medical treatment – in this case, blood transfusion. Specifically, the issue was the extent to which — if at all — patient choice based on religious grounds attracted the protection of Article 10(1) and Article 21(1) of the Charter ­– which together provide for freedom of religion and prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion) [2]. Continue reading