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Summary
- Jehovah’s Witnesses may become doctors; jw.org says “some of Jehovah’s Witnesses are physicians,” as Luke was (Colossians 4:14).
- The May 2026 Watchtower says that deciding whether to obtain additional education is “a personal matter,” after years in which Witness publications discouraged higher education.
- Witnesses judge work by the principles in The Watchtower of April 15, 1999, which ask whether a job is condemned in the Bible or would make a person an accomplice, and how much authority he has.
- Since September 18, 2026, each Witness decides whether to accept the four main blood components; Witnesses still refuse whole-blood transfusions.
- Hospital Liaison Committees offer a free, round-the-clock service to clinicians who treat Witness patients and help Witnesses find doctors who respect their conscience.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Scripture quotations from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 revision), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society: Acts 15:20; Colossians 4:14. https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/nwt/books/
- “Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Accept Medical Treatment?” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovahs-witnesses-medical-treatment/
- René Ruhlmann, “I Found Something Better Than Medicine,” The Watchtower (study edition), February 2022. https://www.jw.org/en/library/magazines/watchtower-study-february-2022/I-Found-Something-Better-Than-Medicine/
- “Make Wise Decisions Regarding Additional Education,” The Watchtower (study edition), May 2026, pp. 14–19. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2026402
- “Questions From Readers” (employment), The Watchtower, April 15, 1999, pp. 28–30. https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1999286
- “How Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Show Respect for Life?” (reflecting the 2026 Governing Body Update #6), jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/library/series/more-topics/jehovahs-witnesses-view-blood/
- “Jehovah’s Witnesses: Each Witness Now Decides Whether to Accept or Donate Main Blood Components,” news release, Warwick, New York, September 18, 2026. https://www.jw.org/en/global-communications/country/global-news/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Each-Witness-Now-Decides-Whether-to-Accept-or-Donate-Main-Blood-Components/
- “2026 Governing Body Update #6,” jw.org, September 18, 2026. https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/global/2026-Governing-Body-Update-6/
- “Jehovah’s Witness Governing Body Allows Autologous Transfusions,” Transfusion News, April 23, 2026 (on the March 2026 Governing Body Update #2). https://transfusionnews.com/2026/04/23/jehovahs-witness-governing-body-allows-autologous-transfusions/
- “Hospital Liaison Committee Contacts,” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/medical-library/hospital-liaison-committee-hlc-contacts/
- “Medical Information for Clinicians of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” jw.org. https://www.jw.org/en/medical-library/medical-information/
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