By staff Reporter Rukevwe Odeh

The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced a change in its guidance on blood, giving individual members the freedom to decide whether to accept certain blood components during medical treatment.

Under the revised position, members are to make personal decisions regarding the acceptance of red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma and platelets from another person.

The organisation also said members may independently decide whether to donate blood specifically for the purpose of providing blood components or fractions for another person’s medical care.

The clarification was contained in a statement issued by the religious organisation’s World Headquarters in Warwick, New York, on Friday, September 18, 2026.

However, the Jehovah’s Witnesses stressed that the new guidance does not amount to an acceptance of whole-blood transfusion. The organisation said its longstanding religious position against receiving whole blood remains unchanged.

Paul Gillies, an international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said decisions concerning the four major blood components are matters of individual conscience between each member and God.

He explained that local congregations would not interfere with members’ personal choices regarding the blood components covered by the new guidance.

The organisation said the latest adjustment follows previous clarifications concerning blood fractions and the use of an individual’s own blood during medical procedures.

In March, Jehovah’s Witnesses also clarified that members could personally decide whether their own blood may be removed, stored and subsequently returned to them during medical treatment.

The religious group maintained that blood continues to have significant religious importance to its members, citing the biblical instruction to “abstain from blood.”

It also said Jehovah’s Witnesses value life and seek professional medical care rather than relying on faith healing. According to the organisation, members seek treatment from healthcare professionals while asking that their religious convictions and individual medical choices be respected.

The latest announcement represents a significant clarification of the organisation’s guidance on blood components, while leaving its longstanding position on whole-blood transfusions intact.