Jehovah’s Witnesses end ban on transfusions of the four main blood components
Witnesses may now choose to receive red cells, white cells, platelets and plasma from another person. The Governing Body announced the change on 18 September 2026. Transfusions of donated whole blood remain prohibited.
What changed
- Accepting any of the four main components is now an individual decision. Previously, the policy required Witnesses to refuse them.
- Members may also decide whether to donate blood specifically for components or fractions to be used by another person.
- The accompanying article says congregations will not intervene in decisions about components or fractions, and members should not judge one another.
- JW.org has published a blood-products chart and says an updated medical directive will follow.
What stays in place
- The prohibition on receiving another person’s whole blood, or donating blood for whole-blood transfusion, remains.
- Blood fractions remain an individual choice. The March 2026 change concerning a patient’s own blood also remains in place.
- The organisation continues to base its blood policy on its interpretation of Acts 15:28, 29.