{
  "id": 8569206,
  "title": "Blood transfusion: Follow your heart, Jehovah’s Witness tells members",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/blood-transfusion-follow-your-heart-jehovahs-witness-tells-members",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T00:44:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/blood-transfusion-follow-your-heart-jehovahs-witness-tells-members/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Jehovah's Witnesses have changed their policy on blood transfusions, allowing members to decide for themselves whether to accept certain blood components. According to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, members can now individually decide whether to accept red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, or platelets from another person's blood, based on personal conscience.\n\nThis decision applies to accepting these components from another person's blood and also to donating blood for the purpose of providing components or fractions for another person's medical treatment. However, the organisation's longstanding position against whole-blood transfusions remains unchanged, as per a statement from its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York.\n\nThe decision regarding blood components is a matter of individual conscience, as stated by Paul Gillies, international spokesman for Jehovah's Witnesses.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Jehovah’s Witnesses announce adjustment to blood transfusion policy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/jehovahs-witnesses-announce-adjustment-to-blood-transfusion-policy",
        "published": "2026-09-19T11:08:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "Jehovah’s Witnesses make major U-turn on blood transfusion policy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/jehovahs-witnesses-make-major-u-turn-on-blood-transfusion-policy",
        "published": "2026-09-19T13:41:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Premium Times",
        "title": "Blood Transfusion: Jehovah’s Witnesses ease restrictions after eight decades",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/blood-transfusion-jehovahs-witnesses-ease-restrictions-after-eight",
        "published": "2026-09-19T17:51:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "This Day",
        "title": "Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Governing Board Announces Adjustment to Blood Transfusion Policy",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/jehovahs-witnesses-governing-board-announces-adjustment-to-blood",
        "published": "2026-09-20T01:16:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}