The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses announced Friday it will allow members to decide whether to have their own blood drawn, stored, and returned during medical procedures, marking a significant shift in the organization's controversial blood transfusion policy.

The religious group, which has 1.3 million members in the United States and 9.2 million worldwide, will continue to prohibit transfusions using donated blood from other people. Governing Body member Gerrit Lösch said in a video statement that each member must decide for themselves "how his own blood will be used in all medical and surgical care."

The practice being permitted, known as autologous blood transfusion, involves drawing a patient's blood 6 weeks to 5 days before surgery and storing it for potential use during the procedure. Medical experts note this approach carries lower risks of adverse reactions and eliminates the possibility of contracting infectious diseases from donor blood, though it can cause temporary anemia.

Jehovah's Witnesses have historically prohibited blood transfusions based on biblical passages requiring believers to "abstain from blood." The organization had previously allowed certain procedures like kidney dialysis that temporarily remove and quickly return blood, but distinguished this from longer-term storage. A 2000 Watchtower publication stated that storing blood for transfusion "conflicts with God's law."

Lösch cited the increasing types of medical interventions available and noted that "the Bible does not comment on the use of a person's own blood in medical and surgical care." The organization emphasized that its "core belief regarding the sanctity of blood remains unchanged."

Former members and critics said the policy change, while significant, does not go far enough since it maintains restrictions on potentially life-saving transfusions using donated blood in emergency situations or for conditions requiring multiple transfusions.