Staff Reporter
For the first time in history, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have updated their policy, allowing members to have their own blood drawn, stored, and transfused back to them in medical procedures, marking a major milestone in the organization’s history.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses organization has one of the oldest bans on blood transfusion, dating back more than 70 years. The new development will allow members to store their own blood for surgery, representing the first significant shift in the religion’s traditional prohibition.
According to a news article, the new policy does not change the organization’s position on members receiving transfusions of others’ blood, a prohibition that ex-members say has led to preventable deaths.
Critics argue that the policy change falls short, as members who accept donor blood in medical emergencies could face shunning from the faith community.
Leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses are modifying their prohibition on receiving blood transfusions on religious grounds, now allowing members to decide whether to have their own blood drawn and stored in advance for scheduled surgeries with a risk of significant blood loss.
The organization is retaining its wider prohibition against receiving transfusions of others’ blood, a procedure routinely used for patients after accidents, violence, or other blood loss. This long-held rule is one of the most distinctive and controversial teachings of the movement, which is headquartered in New York and is well-known for its assertive public proselytizing.
The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses announced what it called a “clarification” of its teaching on Friday, saying it came after extensive prayer and consideration.
“Each Christian must decide for himself how his own blood will be used in all medical and surgical care,” Governing Body member Gerrit Lösch said in a video statement posted on the denomination’s website. “This includes whether to allow his own blood to be removed, stored, and then given back to him. Some Christians may decide to allow this, while others may object.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses, who emerged in 19th-century America, share many Christian beliefs but diverge from most other churches on key theological issues, such as the nature of Jesus and biblical prophecy. They are almost alone in their beliefs about blood transfusions. The organization reported a U.S. membership of 1.3 million in 2025, with a worldwide membership of 9.2 million across more than 200 countries and territories.
