Jehovah's Witnesses let members decide on blood components, keep whole-blood ban

Pinned summary · as of 16:27

Jehovah's Witnesses will no longer treat the four main parts of blood as forbidden, after the faith's Governing Body ruled that each member may make that choice personally. The announcement came from the organisation's headquarters in New York, and the ban on receiving whole blood stays in place.

What we know

• The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses announced on Friday that whether to accept donated red cells, white cells, plasma or platelets is now a personal matter for each member.
• Members will also make their own choice about giving blood so that its components can help treat other people.
• The faith's refusal of whole-blood transfusions has not changed.
• Paul Gillies, the organisation's international spokesman, described blood as still sacred to the faith and said decisions on blood components lie between each believer and God.
• Mr Gillies added that local congregations will stay out of these personal decisions.
• The organisation explained that because the Bible does not speak directly about blood components, the personal-conscience approach has been extended to the four primary parts of blood.
• The organisation says it does not practise faith healing and is not opposed to modern medicine.
• The move builds on earlier adjustments that covered blood fractions and members' use of their own blood in medical procedures.
• Jehovah's Witnesses have more than nine million members worldwide.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Ghana News Online dated the earlier permission for believers to bank their own blood ahead of an operation to March this year; Onua Online did not give a date.
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  Ghana News Online reported that the change follows years of criticism from doctors, families and former members who said the blanket ban cost lives in emergencies such as complicated births, accidents and surgery; this has not been confirmed by other reports.
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  Ghana News Online also said the faith is long established in Ghana, with Kingdom Halls found in its larger urban centres; no other report covers this.
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  Onua Online reported that Mr Gillies thanked skilled and compassionate physicians who respect Witnesses' wishes on blood, and that the organisation seeks doctors who can give effective treatment in line with members' beliefs; this comes from one report only.

Why it matters for Ghana

Hospitals and blood banks in Ghana may meet Witnesses who now accept some blood components while still refusing whole blood, so patients and clinicians will need to discuss each treatment individually. Families in emergencies such as childbirth complications or accidents face choices that the organisation says now belong to the individual. Ghana News Online reports that the faith has Kingdom Halls in larger urban centres, so the change touches congregations across the country.