Jehovah’s Witnesses have announced a major change to their longstanding position on blood transfusions, allowing individual members to decide whether to accept certain blood components during medical treatment.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses announced the adjustment on Friday, September 18, 2026, stating that the decision to accept red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma or platelets from another person’s blood would now be a matter of personal conscience.
Under the revised position, members can also personally decide whether to donate blood specifically for the production of components or fractions intended for the medical treatment of another person.
However, the organisation stressed that its longstanding prohibition on whole-blood transfusions remains unchanged. Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to base that position on their interpretation of the biblical instruction to “abstain from blood.”
The organisation said the new adjustment follows earlier changes concerning blood fractions and the use of a member’s own blood during medical procedures. In March 2026, Jehovah’s Witnesses also announced that members could personally decide whether their own blood could be removed, stored and later returned to them during medical treatment.
International spokesperson Paul Gillies said the organisation considers decisions involving the four primary blood components to be matters of conscience between individual Witnesses and their God. He added that congregations would not interfere with members’ personal decisions.
The latest announcement represents a significant modification to the religious group’s approach to blood-related medical treatment. The organisation, however, maintains that blood remains sacred and that its position against whole-blood transfusions has not changed.
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