Death of Jehovah's Witness during childbirth prompts investigation

A coroner is investigating the death of a young Jehovah's Witness who died while giving birth at a Lvishospital earlier this week.

lose Dupuis, 26, required a blood transfusion during childbirthand died of a hemorrhage on Oct. 12 at Htel-Dieu de Lvis Hospital near Quebec City.The child survived and is in good health.

Quebec coroner Luc Malouinwill look intothe circumstances around her death and determine if there were anymedical errors made.

Malouin will also have to find outif Dupuis refused to have a blood transfusion, a medical procedure that is banned by Jehovah's Witnesses, even when a life is at risk.

Thelawstates that adult patients may refuse medical treatments if it appears the patient made an informed decision.

"I would like to to know ifloseconsented to not having a blood transfusion, if she had the chance to express herself, ifshe had the opportunity to make an informed decision," Manon Boyer, Dupuis's aunt, told Radio-Canada.

A group of friends ofDupuistold Radio-Canada theyplanto file a complaint with the Lvis police for criminal negligence.

"We don't know if she refused the blood transfusion," Cassandra Zelezen, a childhood friend of Dupuis, said.

She said they want toknow if familypreventedmedical stafffrom providinga blood transfusion without the consent of Dupuis.