The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has announced a change to its policy on blood transfusions, giving individual members the freedom to decide whether to accept or donate the four main components of blood based on personal conscience.
The organisation announced the change in a statement issued by its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York, and published on its official website on Friday.
Under the revised policy, Jehovah’s Witnesses can individually decide whether to accept red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma or platelets from another person’s blood during medical treatment.
“The decision to accept red cells, white cells, plasma or platelets from another person’s blood is a matter of personal conscience,” the organisation said.
The organisation also said members would have to make their own decisions about donating blood specifically for the purpose of producing components or fractions that could subsequently be used in another person’s medical treatment.
The policy change does not extend to whole blood.
Jehovah’s Witnesses said their longstanding position against whole-blood transfusions remains unchanged.
The organisation’s international spokesman, Paul Gillies, said the decision over whether to accept the four primary blood components is now a matter for each individual Witness to determine according to personal conscience.
The change represents an adjustment to how Jehovah’s Witnesses approach certain blood-related medical procedures, while maintaining the organisation’s existing position regarding whole-blood transfusions.
The revised guidance is expected to give individual members greater discretion when discussing blood-related treatment options with their doctors and making personal medical decisions.
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