While generally accepting of modern medicine, the Governing Body of the 9.2 million Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) around the world maintained strict regulations regarding the use of blood and blood products. This was based on Old and New Testament passages of the Bible requiring believers to “abstain from blood.” While most Christians interpret these passages as a command to refrain from eating blood, the Governing Body of JWs has applied these scriptures to medical procedures involving blood. In March 2026, the Governing Body updated its policies to allow JWs to remove and store their own blood for autologous transfusions during surgery. Now, Governing Body Update #6 from September 2026, has revised these policies to allow JWs to donate or receive blood components (e.g., RBCs, platelets, and plasma) but not whole blood. While this is an important update, it is critical for the medical community to be aware that the JW Governing Body stresses that this is an individual decision, and some JWs may still not be willing to receive transfusions of blood components.
Reference:
September 18, 2026. Global News: 2026 Governing Body Update #6. Accessed September 28, 2026
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