Jehovah’s Witnesses: Each Witness Now Decides Whether to Accept or Donate Main Blood Components

On September 18, 2026, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses announced that accepting red cells, white cells, plasma, or platelets from another person’s blood is now a matter of personal conscience. Donation of blood for the clearly expressed purpose of providing components or fractions for another person is likewise left to individual conscience. The position on whole-blood transfusion remains unchanged, with continued refusal of whole blood on religious grounds. The statement extends earlier conscience-based guidance on blood fractions and the use of one’s own blood during medical procedures to the four main components of blood.