Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Governing Board Announces Adjustment to Blood Transfusion Policy
Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced that members can now decide whether to accept or donate the four main components of blood based on
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced a change to its blood transfusion policy, allowing members to choose whether to accept or donate the four main components of blood based on their personal conscience. This decision, made by the organization's World Headquarters in Warwick, New York, was announced on Friday and detailed on their website.
The organization clarified that the choice to accept red cells, white cells, plasma, or platelets from another person's blood is a matter of personal conscience for each Jehovah's Witness.
The organization emphasized that this decision applies to red cells, white cells, plasma, and platelets, but whole-blood transfusions remain a core teaching based on the religious principle to "abstain from blood" (Acts 15:20). International spokesman Paul Gillies stated that blood remains sacred to Jehovah's Witnesses, who view life and blood as precious gifts from God. The organization recognizes that medical decisions involving blood components are a personal choice between the Witness and their God, Jehovah.
Jehovah's Witnesses continue to emphasize their commitment to seeking the best available medical care and loving life. They do not practice faith healing and seek out doctors who can provide effective treatment in accordance with their wishes, values, and beliefs. The organization noted that local congregations will not interfere in members' personal decisions regarding blood transfusions, respecting the personal choices of their fellow believers.
The religious group, which has over nine million members worldwide in congregations across more than 200 lands, clarified its position on the use of a member's blood during surgery and other medical procedures in March. This earlier clarification allowed individual Witnesses to decide whether their blood could be removed, stored, and returned during medical treatment, while maintaining the organization's stance against receiving blood from another person.
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