Dying teen loses bid to take medical rights case to top court

OTTAWA (CP) -- A dying teenager who fought blood transfusions on religious grounds has lost her bid to have Canada's top court consider the medical rights of mature minors.

The Supreme Court of Canada announced Thursday that it won't hear the case. No reasons were given, as is usual in such proceedings.

The decision doesn't affect the 16-year-old Calgary girl's medical state: the Alberta government last week stopped forcing treatments on the Jehovah's Witness after 38 transfusions and four rounds of chemotherapy failed to stop the cancer.

She is not expected to live much longer.