Jehovah’s Witnesses have maintained their ban on whole blood transfusions but say the decision to accept blood components is now a matter of personal conscience.
The new position was announced by the Governing Body in a statement from its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York, on Friday, September 18, 2026.
According to the statement, the decision to accept red cells, white cells, plasma or platelets from another person’s blood now rests with the individual.
Each Witness must also decide whether or not to donate blood for the purpose of providing components or fractions for use by another person.
The organisation said its l ong-standing refusal of whole-blood transfusions on religious grounds, based on the command to “abstain from blood” in Acts 15:20, remains unchanged.
“Blood remains sacred to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who continue to regard life and blood as precious gifts from God,” international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at their World Headquarters, Paul Gillies, said.
“We recognise that medical decisions involving blood components are a matter of conscience between each Witness and their God, Jehovah,” he added.
The adjustment follows earlier updates regarding blood fractions and the use of one’s own blood during medical procedures.
The organisation said since the Bible does not comment on such decisions, they are a matter of individual conscience, and that same reasoning has now been extended to the four main components of blood.
Jehovah’s Witnesses say they love life and want the best available medical care, do not practise faith healing, and seek doctors who can provide effective treatment in accord with their wishes, values and beliefs.
“Congregations do not involve themselves in personal decisions that rest with the individual conscience. We will continue to respect and support the personal decisions of our fellow believers,” Gillies said.
“We are grateful, too, for the many skilled and compassionate physicians who provide quality medical care that respects our personal wishes regarding blood,” he added.
Jehovah’s Witnesses number over nine million worldwide, in congregations across more than 200 territories.
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