Jehovah’s Witnesses Revise Blood Transfusion Rules, Leave Key Decisions to Individual Conscience

Jehovah’s Witnesses have announced a major change to their longstanding position on blood transfusions, giving individual members greater discretion over certain blood-related medical treatments.

The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses announced the change on September 18, 2026, saying decisions concerning the four primary components of blood  red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets will now be left to individual conscience.

Under the revised position, Witnesses may personally decide whether to accept any of these four components derived from donated blood during medical or surgical treatment. They may also choose whether to donate blood for the purpose of producing components or fractions that could be used to treat another person.

However, the organisation stressed that its longstanding prohibition on transfusions of whole blood remains unchanged.

Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to base their position on their interpretation of the biblical command to “abstain from blood,” including the instruction recorded at Acts 15:20.