Pretoria – Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders have had a “change of heart” that allows members to have blood transfusions without going against their religious practices.
For decades, the religious prohibition on blood transfusion has posed a major challenge to the healthcare system, specifically in emergency and critical care settings.
Jehovah’s Witnesses based their refusal of transfusions on biblical passages such as Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:10, Deuteronomy 12:23, and Acts 15:28–29.
Commenting on the “change of heart” on Friday, 2 October 2026, the Department of Health said it “welcomes the historic and significant” decision by Jehovah’s Witnesses to change their longstanding position on blood transfusions.
“We note that Jehovah’s Witnesses still prohibit transfusion of whole blood, but we wish to reassure the nation that this prohibition is not of significance to the healthcare system,” said Health Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi.
“This is because doctors and hospitals, or any other health facility, have for decades discouraged the use of whole blood for ordinary transfusions.”
He explained that whole blood was “extremely unaffordable” and, in many cases, not needed.
However, there are very few circumstances under which whole blood needs to be transfused.
Minister Motsoaledi commended Jehovah’s Witnesses for this “giant leap”, noting that the decision lifts a substantial burden from the shoulders of healthcare workers, many of whom had to resort to the courts to save innocent children from the beliefs of their parents.
He further explained that a blood transfusion is a medical procedure in which donated blood or specific blood components are given to a patient through a vein to replace lost blood or to treat several conditions that affect how well blood functions.
