Jehovah’s Witnesses have revised their longstanding policy on blood-related medical treatment, allowing individual members to decide whether to accept four major blood components during medical procedures.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses announced the change on September 18, 2026, stating that decisions involving red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets will now be left to the individual conscience of each member.
Under the revised position, Jehovah’s Witnesses may personally determine whether to accept any of the four components when they are derived from another person’s donated blood and used during medical or surgical treatment.
Members may also decide individually whether they wish to donate blood for the purpose of producing blood components or fractions that could be used to treat another person.
However, the organisation stressed that the adjustment does not represent a reversal of its longstanding prohibition on whole-blood transfusions.
The prohibition against receiving whole blood remains unchanged.
Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to base their position on their interpretation of the Bible’s instruction to “abstain from blood,” citing, among other passages, the command recorded at Acts 15:20.
The revised policy creates a distinction between whole blood and its individual components, giving members greater personal discretion regarding red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets.
The change means that Jehovah’s Witnesses undergoing medical or surgical treatment can now make their own decisions about whether to accept these four components, while the organisation’s position against whole-blood transfusions remains in effect.
The policy adjustment marks a significant development in the religious group’s approach to blood-related medical treatment, an issue that has shaped the healthcare decisions of Jehovah’s Witnesses for decades.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar