Blood Policy Revision
Jehovah’s Witnesses ease blood component rules while keeping the whole-blood ban in place.
Anonymous
Jehovah’s Witnesses have revised their blood policy, allowing members to decide according to personal conscience whether to receive or donate red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets. The organization said its longstanding ban on whole-blood transfusions and donations intended for whole-blood transfusions remains unchanged, based on its interpretation of the biblical command to abstain from blood. The change follows an earlier 2026 revision allowing members to store their own blood for possible future medical treatment. The organization said the Bible does not specifically address the four major blood components and that members should make related medical decisions between themselves and God while seeking professional care. Critics, including former members, have argued that the broader prohibition has prevented access to potentially lifesaving treatment.
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The policy change was announced in a statement from the organization’s World Headquarters in Warwick, New York, and published on its website on Friday.
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The organization said members may decide whether to donate blood specifically so its components or fractions can be used in another person’s medical treatment, while continuing to reject donations intended for whole-blood transfusions.
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Geoffrey W. Jackson, a member of the Governing Body, said: “Each Christian must make his own personal decision about the use of these four primary components in all medical and surgical care.”
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International spokesman Paul Gillies said the organization still regards blood as sacred and considers life and blood “precious gifts from God.”
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The organization says Jehovah’s Witnesses seek the best available professional medical care while maintaining their religious convictions; the AP report noted that the policy has been controversial because critics regard transfusions as a proven treatment for blood loss caused by surgery, accidents or violence.
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