Jehovah's Witnesses Update Policy on Autologous Blood Use

Jehovah's Witnesses leaders announced a clarification to their longstanding policy on blood transfusions Friday, permitting members to personally decide whether to use their own blood in certain medical procedures while upholding the prohibition against receiving blood from others.

The Governing Body, the denomination's leadership, released a video statement on its official website outlining the updated guidance. In the video, Governing Body member Gerrit Lösch explained that the change stems from biblical principles requiring Christians to abstain from blood, but noted that scripture does not address the use of a patient's own blood in modern medical contexts. "Regarding the use of one's own blood, a Christian must decide for himself how his own blood will be handled in the course of a surgical procedure, medical test, or current therapy," Lösch said. He added that after prayer and scriptural study, the body decided to allow individual choice in such matters, emphasizing that some members may opt to have their blood stored and returned during surgery, while others may decline.

The clarification applies primarily to autologous procedures, where a patient predonates their own...