A deeply distressing incident has emerged from Borikiri, Port Harcourt, where a young mother of four, Victoria Paris, tragically died after being denied a blood transfusion following childbirth complications. The heartbreaking loss has sparked outrage and renewed calls for stricter regulations on religious influence in emergency medical care.
Victoria, who was seven months pregnant, was rushed to Standard Maternity Hospital after going into premature labor. A successful cesarean section (CS) was carried out, but the mother’s condition deteriorated rapidly due to excessive blood loss. According to Chris Adams, her brother-in-law, doctors confirmed she urgently needed a transfusion—yet the hospital’s owner allegedly refused to administer blood, citing her religious beliefs as a Jehovah’s Witness.
Chris detailed the ordeal in a viral Facebook post, stating that although Victoria had delivered her previous children at the same hospital, this time ended in horror. “The doctor said she doesn’t do blood transfusions in her hospital because of her religion,” he wrote. “But why open a hospital if you can’t save lives first?”
To make matters worse, electricity reportedly failed during the procedure, compounding the already critical situation. Family members rushed to transfer Victoria to another hospital, but she was declared dead on arrival, leaving behind four children and a devastated community.
The story has since ignited a firestorm online, with many Nigerians questioning how personal religious doctrine could override life-saving medical procedures. Legal and medical experts are also weighing in, saying that such refusal—especially in a licensed medical facility—could amount to criminal negligence.
Public health advocates are now urging the Rivers State Ministry of Health and Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to investigate the circumstances surrounding Victoria’s death. “There must be a balance between religious rights and the sanctity of human life, especially in critical care,” said one legal analyst.
As tributes pour in across social media, the name Victoria Paris is fast becoming a rallying cry for reform in Nigeria’s maternal healthcare system. Her family and concerned citizens are calling for justice—so that no woman is ever denied the right to life on the altar of ideology.
