by Lee Elder, Executive Director - AJWRB | Aug 9, 2026 | Bioethics & Medical Ethics, Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent
Published March 22, 2026 | Last Updated August 9, 2026 Progress, Accountability, and the Future of Blood Policy What changed in 2026? On March 20, 2026, Jehovah’s Witnesses changed their blood policy regarding autologous blood donation. Preoperative collection,...
by Lee Elder, Executive Director - AJWRB | Aug 1, 2026 | Clinical Guidance & Practice, Historical Policy Evolution, JW Crisis Management, Patient Management
The Jehovah’s Witness blood policy is widely recognized in medicine for its conscientious objection to blood transfusions, a position rooted in their interpretation of biblical commands to “abstain from blood” (Acts 15:28–29). However, the current Jehovah’s...
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 | Jul 3, 2026 | Historical Policy Evolution, Institutional Policy & Watchtower Reform, Medico-Legal Liability & Informed Consent, Pediatric Bioethics & Minor Rights
Golden Age March 30, 1930 p.409 Between 1921 and 1952, the Watch Tower Society taught that vaccination was inconsistent with biblical principles and strongly discouraged its members from receiving vaccines. During this same period, the organization introduced its...
Recent Comments