Blood and transfusions: what really changed?

Why this article

1.“If anyone knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him” (James 4:17, NWT). If we know something that can protect the lives of our brothers and sisters, staying silent would be the real mistake.

2.The March 20, 2026 update on autologous blood has caused a lot of confusion. “So is it allowed now?” “What about those who refused before?” “What do I do with my advance directive card?” Many haven’t understood what really changed — or what it means for their life and that of their family.

3.We’re not here to attack the Governing Body — they are men doing their best. We are brothers who did what the Scriptures ask of us: verifying. “Make sure of all things” is not rebellion — it is a biblical principle. The Beroeans of Acts 17:11 were called “more noble-minded” precisely because they verified everything, even the words of an apostle.

4. Every quotation that follows is taken from official Watchtower publications or from jw.org. You won’t find our opinions — you’ll find their own words, placed side by side. Read to the end. Then verify for yourselves.

What the Governing Body said on March 20, 2026

5. On March 20, 2026, Gerrit Losch published Governing Body Update #2 of 2026 in a video on jw.org. His exact words:

“Each Christian must decide for himself how his own blood will be used in any medical or surgical care. This includes whether to allow his own blood to be drawn, stored, and then reinfused.”

“The Bible does not comment on the use of one’s own blood in medical and surgical care.”

Let’s read it again: the Bible does not comment.

6. In practice, autologous predeposit— that is, the withdrawal, storage, and subsequent reinfusion of one’s own blood prior to a procedure — goes from forbidden to a matter of personal conscience.

7.Here is a summary of what changed and what didn’t:

8.The only change concerns autologous predeposit. Everything else remains unchanged. Losch explained that the decision came after “much prayer and consideration.”

9.So far, so clear. But there’s a detail that many brothers haven’t noticed — one that deserves our full attention.

The “clarification” up close

10. In the update, Losch cited a previous Watchtowerarticle as if it confirmed the new position — as if it had always been that way. But what did that very same article actually say?

11. The Watchtowerof October 15, 2000, “Questions From Readers” (wol.jw.org), addressed autologous predeposit. The exact words:

“Sometimes doctors urge patients to deposit their own blood weeks before surgery (preoperative autologous blood donation, or PAD) so that if the need arises, this stored blood could be transfused. Such collecting, storing, and reinfusing of blood, however, directly contradicts what is said in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Blood is not to be stored; it is to be poured out — returned to God, as it were.”

12. And a few lines later:

“Granted, the Mosaic Law is not in force today. Yet, Jehovah’s Witnesses respect the principles God included in it, and they are determined to ‘abstain from blood.’ Thus, we do not donate blood, nor do we store for transfusion our blood that should be ‘poured out.’ That practice conflicts with God’s law.”

13.Let’s place the two positions side by side:

14. We’re not interpreting. We’re reading.The very same words printed by the very same organization. One said “directly contradicts God’s law.” The other says “the Bible does not comment.” It is not possible for both to be true.

15.Before March 20, 2026, a brother or sister who had stored their own blood for reinfusion would have been considered as one who had chosen to disassociate themselves — with all the consequences: the public announcement, the loss of contact with brothers, the loss of one’s loved ones. There was no margin for personal conscience. There was a ban written in black and white, defined as “God’s law.”

16. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, that’s normal.We felt it too. We reopened the publications, hoping to find something that would disprove what we were reading. We didn’t find it. We’re not saying the Governing Body deliberately erred. They are sincere men. But men. And the printed words speak for themselves.

What this means for you, concretely

17. There is an urgent practical matter that concerns our safety and that of our families.

18. If you have an advance healthcare directive (DAT in Italy) on file at the municipality: it likely includes the refusal of autologous predeposit. That document, perhaps signed years ago, no longer reflects the official position — nor perhaps your current conscience. If you were to have an accident and be unconscious, doctors would act based on that paper. The advance directive speaks for you when you cannot speak. Italian Law 219/2017 guarantees you the right to update it at any time. At bombablu.org/en/vita/revoca-dat you’ll find a practical guide.

19. If you have a “No Blood” card:cards issued before March 20, 2026 contain the refusal of autologous predeposit — a clause that is now obsolete. If your doctor has that card on file, they could deny you an option that you are now free to accept. Talk to your doctor.

20. If you have a scheduled procedure: ask your surgeon if autologous predeposit is available. If you are a parent:verify that your children’s medical documents reflect your current choices, not those of five years ago. Are your children protected?

21.You don’t need to make decisions right now. But you need to know.This is not medical advice — we’re not doctors. It’s an invitation to make sure your documents say what you want them to say.

The question that arises

22.If the Bible “does not comment” on the use of one’s own blood in medical care — the Governing Body’s exact words on March 20, 2026 — why were we taught the opposite for 26 years? Why does a practice that The Watchtowerof 2000 called “in conflict with God’s law” become a matter of conscience? The Bible has not received any new verses. The only thing that has changed is the interpretation of the men who guide us.

23.Think of a wedding ring. Blood represents life, just as the ring represents marriage. But if a man were drowning with his wedding ring on his finger, and someone said to him “take off the ring or I won’t save you” — would we be protecting the marriage, or would we be sacrificing a life for a symbol? The symbol exists to honor what it represents. Not the other way around.

24. Some of us know brothers and sisters who have lost their lives by refusing a procedure that is now considered a matter of conscience. To them and to their families go our deepest condolences. There are no words adequate for the pain of those who remain.

25.James 3:1 reminds us: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment” (NWT). Whoever teaches has an enormous responsibility. We don’t have all the answers. But we believe that the right questions are a duty — not a sin.

Most frequent objections

26.We know that reading these lines raises questions and objections. It’s natural. We had them too. Let’s look at the most common ones.

Points for reflection

31.Three questions. We’re not asking for immediate answers. Just that you think about them — in the silence of your conscience, in the moments when you are alone with Jehovah.

One thing is certain

35. This update is not the first. And, if history teaches us anything, it will not be the last.

36.Let’s look at the facts:

In each case, the Bible had not changed. Only the interpretations had changed.
And every time, between the ban and its reversal, real consequences in the lives of real people.

37.There’s a concept we all know well: the “new light.” In the next reflection we’ll examine it in the light of Scripture. What is it really? Where does it come from? How does it work? And above all: how many times has it changed direction — and at what cost?

38.If what we’ve read today has made us think, the next article will give us the tools to understand the why. Not the why of a single change — but the why of an entire pattern.

“Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine.”

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

39.Verify for yourselves. Open the publications cited. Read the paragraphs with your own eyes. Don’t trust us — trust the Scriptures and your own conscience. The truth is not afraid of questions.