The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced a significant adjustment to the organisation’s position on blood, allowing individual members to decide according to personal conscience whether to accept or donate four major blood components.
The announcement was made on September 18, 2026, from the organisation’s World Headquarters in Warwick, New York. According to the official statement, Jehovah’s Witnesses may now personally determine whether to accept red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma or platelets obtained from another person’s blood. Members may also decide whether to donate blood specifically for the purpose of providing components or fractions for another person’s medical treatment.
However, the organisation stressed that this adjustment does not amount to a change in its longstanding position on whole-blood transfusions. Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to reject whole-blood transfusions on religious grounds, citing the biblical instruction to “abstain from blood” at Acts 15:20.
Paul Gillies, an international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at the World Headquarters, said the organisation continues to regard blood and life as sacred gifts from God. He explained that decisions involving the four primary blood components are now regarded as matters of individual conscience between each Witness and Jehovah.
The latest adjustment builds on previous changes concerning blood fractions and the medical use of a person’s own blood. The organisation says its reasoning is based on the view that the Bible does not specifically address whether an individual should accept or reject these particular medical uses of blood components. Consequently, each member is expected to make a personal and prayerful decision.
The organisation has also clarified that local congregations will not become involved in these personal medical decisions. Individual Witnesses are expected to make their own choices without being judged by fellow members, while congregations are expected to respect and support those decisions.
Jehovah’s Witnesses also maintain that they value life and seek quality medical treatment. The organisation says its members do not practise faith healing and instead seek qualified medical professionals who can provide appropriate care while respecting their religious convictions and individual choices.
The development represents an important clarification in the religious group’s approach to medical decisions involving blood. While the refusal of whole-blood transfusions remains in place, the decision-making framework for red cells, white cells, plasma and platelets has shifted toward individual conscience.
Jehovah’s Witnesses say they have more than nine million members worldwide, organised in congregations across more than 200 countries and territories.
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The organisation’s latest position was also featured in its 2026 Governing Body Update #6, which explains the adjustment to its position on blood components.
