Jehovah’s Witnesses have announced a change to their policy on blood transfusions, allowing individual members to decide whether to accept or donate the four main components of blood based on personal conscience.
The organisation made this known in a statement issued by its World Headquarters in Warwick, New York, and published on its website on Friday.
Under the revised position, members can personally decide whether to accept red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma or platelets from another person.
Members can also decide whether to donate blood specifically for the purpose of providing blood components or fractions for another person.
However, the organisation said its long-standing position against whole-blood transfusions remains unchanged.
It explained that the refusal of whole-blood transfusions is based on its interpretation of the biblical instruction to “abstain from blood” in Acts 15:20.
An international spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses, Paul Gillies, said blood remained sacred to members of the faith, adding that life and blood were regarded as gifts from God.
He said medical decisions involving blood components would now be left to the conscience of individual Witnesses in their relationship with Jehovah.
The organisation said the policy adjustment followed earlier changes concerning blood fractions and the use of a person’s own blood during medical procedures.
It explained that because the Bible does not specifically address decisions involving the four major blood components, members were free to make individual choices on the matter.
The group also said its members seek medical treatment and do not practise faith healing, adding that they choose doctors who can provide effective care while respecting their religious beliefs and personal decisions.
Gillies said local congregations would not interfere with members’ decisions regarding blood components.
He added that the organisation would continue to respect and support members in making personal medical choices based on their conscience.
Jehovah’s Witnesses said they have more than nine million members in congregations across more than 200 countries and territories.
The latest announcement follows a clarification reported earlier in March concerning the use of a member’s own blood during surgery and other medical procedures.
Under that clarification, individual Witnesses could decide whether their blood could be removed, stored and returned to them during treatment, while the organisation retained its position against receiving blood from another person.
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of News PLATFORM or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!