Jehovah’s Witnesses will now be permitted to accept certain blood-derived medical treatments from donors, a development described as a significant change for patient care. The ruling, announced by the denomination’s governing body based in Warwick, New York, allows individuals to receive transfusions of red and white blood cells, plasma, and platelets, while maintaining their long-standing prohibition on whole blood transfusions based on biblical interpretations.

Previously, Jehovah’s Witnesses were taught to reject all treatments involving blood from another person, citing a passage from the Bible’s Acts 15:20 that instructs followers to “abstain from... blood.” Earlier this year, the governing body modified its stance to permit the use of a patient’s own stored blood for transfusions. The latest update goes further by leaving the decision to accept blood components from donors to the personal conscience of each member.

Medical ethicists have welcomed the change, noting it could reduce the number of avoidable deaths linked to refusal of blood treatments. A campaign group advocating for reform estimated that about 1,200 excess deaths occur annually due to Jehovah’s Witnesses declining blood transfusions. Dominic Wilkinson, a professor of medical ethics at Oxford University, described the shift as a “massively significant step” that could alleviate difficult decisions faced by parents and families when life-saving treatment was previously refused on religious grounds. He acknowledged, however, that some medical situations will still require whole blood transfusions, which remain prohibited by the faith.

Paul Gillies, a spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, emphasized that the group's core belief in the sanctity of blood remains unchanged, describing blood and life as “precious gifts from God.” He said that medical decisions involving blood components are now matters of individual conscience between each Witness and their deity, Jehovah. The governing body highlighted that Jehovah’s Witnesses seek effective medical care consistent with their beliefs and do not engage in faith healing.

This development affects approximately nine million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, including around 144,000 in the United Kingdom. Over the past decade and a half, courts in several countries have occasionally authorized blood transfusions over religious objections, particularly in pediatric cases. The new guidance is expected to provide greater autonomy to members while potentially improving clinical outcomes by expanding acceptable treatment options.