Jehovah’s Witnesses have announced an adjustment to their long-standing policy on blood transfusions, giving individual members greater freedom to decide whether to accept certain blood components during medical treatment.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses announced on September 18, 2026, that members can personally decide whether to accept red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma or platelets derived from another person’s blood.
The organisation said the decision is now a matter of individual conscience. Members are expected to consider their religious beliefs and make their own personal decisions regarding the use of these blood components in medical and surgical care.
The adjustment also applies to blood donation. Individual Witnesses can decide whether they want to donate blood specifically for the purpose of producing components or fractions that could later be used in medical treatment.
However, the organisation stressed that its position on whole-blood transfusions has not changed. Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to refuse whole-blood transfusions on religious grounds, based on their interpretation of biblical teachings about abstaining from blood.
The latest announcement follows another policy change made in March 2026. At that time, the Governing Body allowed members to decide whether to have their own blood collected, stored and later used during medical treatment. The organisation maintained its opposition to receiving blood from another person at that time.
The new guidance expands the principle of personal conscience to the four primary components of blood. Jehovah’s Witnesses say the Bible does not specifically address these medical decisions, allowing individual members to make their own choices.
Paul Gillies, an international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said the organisation continues to regard blood as sacred but recognises that decisions involving blood components are personal matters between individual believers and God.
The policy has attracted attention because blood components are commonly used in modern medical care. Plasma, red cells and platelets, for example, can have different medical applications depending on a patient's condition and treatment needs.
Jehovah’s Witnesses said they continue to encourage members to seek appropriate medical treatment and work with healthcare professionals while making decisions consistent with their personal beliefs.
The organisation, which has more than nine million members worldwide across more than 200 countries and territories, said congregations will respect and support individual decisions that fall under personal conscience.
The latest change therefore represents a partial adjustment rather than a complete reversal of the denomination’s position on blood transfusions. While members now have greater individual choice concerning four major blood components, the prohibition on whole-blood transfusions remains unchanged.