by Lee Elder | | Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
On March 20, 2026, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses released Governing Body Update #2 (2026), delivered by Gerrit Lösch [1]. This announcement marks the most significant doctrinal shift since the 1945 prohibition on blood transfusions. The organization has...
by S. Sparrow | | Hematology & Biomedical Science, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
Article contributed by S. Sparrow The January 2000 issue of the Awake! magazine, published by the Watchtower Society Bible and Tract Society of New York and distributed worldwide, featured articles endorsing bloodless surgery and promoting bloodless medicine as a safe...
by Lee Elder | | Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Hematology & Biomedical Science, JW Crisis Management, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
While the Watchtower has never published either actual statistics or estimates of the impact of their blood policy on Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW), it is well-known in the medical community that the policy has caused or contributed to numerous premature...
by Lee Elder | | Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
The “No Blood Card” carried by Jehovah’s Witnesses has undergone significant changes over the past several decades. Originally referred to simply as the “blood card,” it evolved into the “Advance Medical Directive.” A major structural shift occurred in 2004 when the...
by AJWRB Staff | | Hematology & Biomedical Science, Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
What follows is a collection of quotes from Watchtower Society literature.This information will help researchers understand the mindset that existed within the Watchtower Society regarding science and medicine at the time the blood doctrine was beginning to...
by AJWRB Staff | | Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
After the death of her mother, we were contacted by Kerry Louderback-Wood. She later wrote the following article for the Journal of Church and State’s Autumn 2005 issue. The article shows how the Watchtower Society might be held legally responsible for failure...
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