Changes

==Blood==

==Blood==

While not accepting transfusions of whole blood, the faith does give members some latitude regarding blood “products,” like plasma, platelets, and red or white blood cells. Since 1945 the Jehovah's Witnesses' governing body has stipulated that accepting whole blood or whole blood cell transfusions is in violation of the Bible's commandments, but in recent years, since 2000, it became a conscience matter to receive "blood products".  All adult Jehovah's Witnesses refuse whole blood, being prohibited by the governing body of the Congregation.  There has been ongoing controversy, especially when they prohibit children from receiving life-saving transfusions, which has led many states and countries to override parents' authority in medical matters.  The legal procedure in some of these contentious cases is to obtain a court order allowing doctors to transfuse children over their parents’ objections if withholding blood is likely to lead to death or disability.<ref>Susan E. Lederer, ''Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in Twentieth-Century America'' (2008), ch 7.</ref>

While not accepting transfusions of whole blood, the faith does give members some latitude regarding blood “products,” like plasma, platelets, and red or white blood cells. Since 1945 the Jehovah's Witnesses' governing body has stipulated that accepting whole blood or whole blood cell transfusions is in violation of the Bible's commandments, but in recent years, since 2000, it became a conscience matter to receive "blood products".  All adult Jehovah's Witnesses refuse whole blood, being prohibited by the governing body of the Congregation, basing their position on the prohibition against consuming blood in the Bible, with the commands given under Noah, Moses, and Paul, found in the books of Genesis, Leviticus, and Acts.  In recent decades, There has been ongoing controversy, especially when they prohibit children from receiving life-saving transfusions, which has led many states and countries to override parents' authority in medical matters.  The legal procedure in some of these contentious cases is to obtain a court order allowing doctors to transfuse children over their parents’ objections if withholding blood is likely to lead to death or disability.<ref>Susan E. Lederer, ''Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in Twentieth-Century America'' (2008), ch 7.</ref>

==Further reading==

==Further reading==