The organisation said this in a statement published on its website on Friday.

It said each Witness “must decide whether or not to donate blood for the clearly expressed purpose of providing components or fractions for use by another person.”

It added that “long-standing refusal of whole-blood transfusions on religious grounds, a core teaching based on the command to ‘abstain from blood’ (Acts 15:20), is unchanged.”

“Blood remains sacred to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who continue to regard life and blood as precious gifts from God,” the statement said, quoting Paul Gillies, international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses at their world headquarters.

“We recognize that medical decisions involving blood components are a matter of conscience between each Witness and their God, Jehovah.

“Congregations do not involve themselves in personal decisions that rest with the individual conscience.

“We will continue to respect and support the personal decisions of our fellow believers.

“We are grateful, too, for the many skilled and compassionate physicians who provide quality medical care that respects our personal wishes regarding blood.”

The statement said the adjustment follows earlier updates regarding blood fractions and the use of one’s own blood during medical procedures.

It noted that since the Bible does not comment on such decisions, they are a matter of individual conscience.

“That same reasoning has now been extended to the four main components of blood,” the statement reads.

“Jehovah’s Witnesses love life and want the best available medical care.

“They do not practice faith healing, and they seek out doctors who can provide effective treatment in accord with their wishes, values and beliefs.”

The development comes about seven months after Jehovah’s Witnesses eased aspects of their doctrine on blood transfusions, allowing members to decide whether their own blood may be removed, stored and later returned during medical procedures.

In a video statement released on their website, Gerrit Lösch, a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses governing body, said the clarification reflects the need for personal decision-making in matters involving a patient’s own blood.

In December 2025, Mensha Omotola Esther, a grocery shopper popularly known as Aunty Esther, died of breast cancer after reportedly refusing a blood transfusion in line with her Jehovah’s Witness faith.