by AJWRB Staff | Sep 25, 2026 | Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Clinical Guidance & Practice, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent, Patient Management
Written for current Jehovah’s Witnesses, this statement explains the 2026 blood policy changes and supports informed medical choice. Clinicians can share it with patients, and family members with Witness relatives.
by AJWRB Staff | Sep 25, 2026 | Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Clinical Guidance & Practice, Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent, Patient Management, Uncategorized
AJWRB responds to the 2026 Jehovah’s Witness blood-policy reforms, examining conscience, whole blood, informed consent, accountability, and unresolved harms.
by Lee Elder, Executive Director - AJWRB | Sep 19, 2026 | Historical Policy Evolution, Clinical Guidance & Practice, JW Crisis Management, Patient Management
Last updated September 26, 2026 The Jehovah’s Witness blood policy changed substantially in 2026. On March 20, Jehovah’s Witness leadership made the use of a patient’s own blood in medical and surgical care a matter of individual conscience.1 On September 18,...
by Lee Elder, Executive Director - AJWRB | Jun 10, 2026 | Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Clinical Guidance & Practice, Hematology & Biomedical Science, Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, JW Crisis Management, Patient Management, Scriptural & Theological Analysis
Many Jehovah’s Witnesses sincerely believe that it is a gross sin to accept a blood transfusion, since the Bible states that we must “abstain from blood.” (Acts 15:29) It is quite understandable that many are confused by the position taken by the...
by Lee Elder, Executive Director - AJWRB | Jul 1, 2025 | JW Crisis Management, Patient Management
A foundational barrier to informed consent among patients affiliated with Watchtower doctrines is the long-standing, organizationally enforced belief regarding Jehovah’s Witness blood transfusion risks—specifically, that allogeneic blood is inherently unsafe. It...
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