The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has revised its policy on blood, allowing members to personally decide whether to accept transfusions of red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, or platelets.
The organization announced the change on Friday, September 18, 2026, from its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York. It said members may also decide whether to donate blood specifically for the production of blood components or fractions for another person.
However, the group said its long-standing ban on whole-blood transfusions remains unchanged, citing its interpretation of the biblical command to “abstain from blood.”
Paul Gillies, an international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said decisions involving the four main blood components are now matters of individual conscience between each member and God.
The organization said the change follows earlier adjustments concerning blood fractions and the use of a member’s own blood during medical procedures. It said the same principle of personal conscience has now been extended to the four primary components of blood.
Jehovah’s Witnesses said congregations would not interfere in members’ personal decisions regarding blood components. The organization also said it does not practice faith healing and that its members seek medical treatment consistent with their wishes and beliefs.
The group said it has more than nine million members worldwide across more than 200 countries and territories.
The latest change follows an earlier 2026 clarification that allowed individual witnesses to decide how their own blood may be handled during medical and surgical procedures.
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