Jehovah’s Witnesses have adjusted their policy on blood transfusion, permitting members to personally decide whether to accept or donate the four major components of blood.
The adjustment comes after an earlier review that allowed members to make personal decisions on whether their own blood could be withdrawn, preserved and reinfused during medical care.
The development was announced in a statement from the organisation’s World Headquarters in Warwick, New York, published on its official website on Friday.
In the statement, the organisation explained that accepting red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma or platelets donated by another person will now be left to individual conscience.
It added that members will also individually decide if they wish to donate blood for the purpose of providing components or fractions for use by others.
Despite the adjustment, the organisation maintained that its position on whole blood transfusion remains unchanged.
It stressed that its refusal of whole blood transfusion on religious grounds, based on the biblical instruction to abstain from blood in Acts 15:20, is still in force.
Speaking in a video update, an international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at the World Headquarters, Paul Gillies, said the organisation still upholds the sacredness of blood but acknowledges that decisions relating to blood components are personal.
He noted that Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to view life and blood as sacred gifts from God, while recognising that medical choices involving blood components are matters of personal conscience between each member and God.
According to the organisation, the latest adjustment follows previous reviews concerning the use of blood fractions and a member’s own blood during medical treatment.
It explained that since the Bible does not directly address such medical decisions, members are permitted to take personal positions on issues relating to the four main components of blood.
The organisation also reiterated that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not practice faith healing and that they actively seek medical care. Members, it said, are encouraged to look for doctors who can provide quality treatment that aligns with their personal values and beliefs.
Gillies added that local congregations will not interfere with decisions taken by individual members.
He said congregations do not get involved in personal choices that are left to individual conscience, adding that the organisation will continue to respect and support the decisions of its members.
Jehovah’s Witnesses said they have over nine million members worshipping in congregations in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
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