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 | Jul 23, 2026 | Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Hematology & Biomedical Science, JW Crisis Management, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
2026 Retrospective Note: The epidemiological projections established in this 2017 paper remain an important framework to tracking historical policy impacts. Notably, the March 2026 reclassification of preoperative autologous blood donation (PAD) to a matter of...
by Lee Elder, Executive Director - AJWRB | Jul 10, 2026 | Hematology & Biomedical Science, Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, JW Crisis Management
How a thirteen-year prohibition based on theology and disputed medical claims shaped life-and-death decisions for thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Introduction Key Context: Between 1967 and 1980, Jehovah’s Witnesses were taught that accepting a...
by Lee Elder, Executive Director - AJWRB | Jul 5, 2026 | Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, JW Crisis Management, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent, Pediatric Bioethics & Minor Rights
Introduction The refusal of blood transfusions by Jehovah’s Witnesses is widely recognized within medical ethics as an expression of religious conscience and patient autonomy. However, when clinicians are evaluating Jehovah’s Witness informed consent, the...
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 AJWRB Staff | Jun 1, 2026 | Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Hematology & Biomedical Science, JW Crisis Management, Patient Narratives & Case Studies, Pediatric Bioethics & Minor Rights
Qualitative Insight: The Role of the Hospital Liaison Committee To fully comprehend the clinical realities of the Jehovah’s Witness blood prohibition, medical professionals must understand the institutional environment surrounding the patient. The following account is...
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