Nurse arrested after refusing to let officer take blood from unconscious victim
sltrib.com
sltrib.com
So, this man is in a hospital, supposedly being cared there, and the police wants to play doctor to protect him? Look like BS to me.
I also find the repeated use of "unconscious" by the writer weird:
"blood cannot be taken from an unconscious patient unless the patient is under arrest, unless there is a warrant allowing the draw or unless the patient consents."
makes it look as if blood could be taken from a conscious patient any time of day, regardless of whether he is arrested, consents, or a warrant exists.
It's a serious offense, and sounds like this this case could have caused a death, so there would be a criminal trial down the road.
You have a right to an attorney, and a right to not incriminate yourself.
If conscious, the patient would presumably reject a blood draw to avoid incriminating themselves.
If unconscious, the patient cannot provide consent, and should not be forced to incriminate themselves by giving blood.
Either way, the only way to compel self incrimination should be a judge's warrant, as it will likely become a point in a trial.
This is why they repeat unconscious so many times.