{"id":197304,"date":"2026-03-21T12:17:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/uncategorized\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine"},"modified":"2026-03-21T13:27:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T12:27:05","slug":"jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine","title":{"rendered":"Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses relax blood transfusion doctrine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. <\/strong><\/span>Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses have issued a clarification to their long-standing position on blood transfusion, allowing members to make personal decisions on the use of their own blood during medical procedures.<\/p>\n

The update, announced in a video published on the group\u2019s official website on Friday, maintains the prohibition on receiving another person\u2019s blood but introduces greater individual discretion in cases involving a patient\u2019s own blood, particularly in surgeries and advanced medical treatments.<\/p>\n

A member of the Governing Body, Gerrit Lo\u0308sch, said the clarification is intended to help adherents navigate medical choices without departing from biblical teachings.<\/p>\n

He explained that while the doctrine requiring Christians to abstain from blood remains unchanged, the scriptures do not directly address the use of one\u2019s own blood in clinical settings.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegarding the use of one\u2019s own blood…a Christian must decide for himself how his own blood will be handled in the course of a surgical procedure, medical test, or current therapy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to him, members are now free to decide whether to permit procedures where their blood is temporarily removed, stored, and later returned to the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome Christians may decide that they would allow their blood to be stored and then be given back to them. Others may object. Each Christian must make his personal decision on all matters involving the use of his own blood with regard to medical or surgical care,\u201d Lo\u0308sch added.<\/p>\n

He noted that practices such as blood testing, dialysis, and the use of heart-lung machines have already been widely accepted among adherents.<\/p>\n

DAILY POST reports that Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses have long based their refusal of blood transfusions on biblical passages interpreted as prohibiting the ingestion or use of blood.<\/p>\n

However, the organisation has consistently maintained that members are not opposed to modern medicine and often seek alternative \u201cbloodless\u201d treatments that align with their beliefs.<\/p>\n

The latest clarification underscores a shift toward personal responsibility in medical decision-making, while preserving the core doctrinal stance that receiving another person\u2019s blood remains unacceptable within the faith.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Nigeria<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Nigeria. Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses have issued a clarification to their long-standing position on blood transfusion, allowing members to make personal decisions on the use of their own blood during medical procedures. The update, announced in a video published on the group\u2019s official website on Friday, maintains the prohibition on receiving another person\u2019s blood but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":197303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30],"tags":[254],"class_list":["post-197304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nJehovah\u2019s Witnesses relax blood transfusion doctrine - Nigeria<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses have issued a clarification to their long-standing position on blood transfusion, allowing members t ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses relax blood transfusion doctrine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses have issued a clarification to their long-standing position on blood transfusion, allowing members t ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nigeria\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-21T11:17:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-21T12:27:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/sm_1774096003.419601.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"968\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"681\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses relax blood transfusion doctrine\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-21T11:17:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-21T12:27:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine\"},\"wordCount\":362,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/sites\/3\/2026\/03\/sm_1774096003.419601.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Nigeria\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/nigeria\/all-news\/jehovahs-witnesses-relax-blood-transfusion-doctrine\",\"name\":\"Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses relax blood transfusion doctrine - 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