Jehovah’s Witnesses make major religious U-turn weeks after 26-year-old dies refusing blood transfusion

26-year-old Isaac Valdez died after having an epileptic seizure and hitting his head.

He had been rushed to hospital where doctors found he'd struck his head so hard he had a brain haemorrhage, while he was able to regain consciousness and speak to his family he later fell into a coma and his condition worsened significantly.

Isaac's family were told that the only thing which could save him was a surgical procedure which required a blood transfusion, but due to his Jehovah's Witness beliefs Isaac carried a card stating he wouldn't want a transfusion.

The Texas man had refused blood transfusions that would have allowed potentially life-saving treatments to be carried out, and when he fell into a coma his family stood by his wishes on the grounds of his religion's rules.

Less than a month after his death on 26 August those rules changed.

Jehovah's Witnesses can now receive blood transfusions, the change came to late to save Isaac Valdez (Yevhen Kotenko/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

The BBC reports that 23 days after Isaac's death the Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body announced a change in their beliefs as they said that most medical procedures requiring blood transfusions were now alright.

Decisions on accepting treatments would be up to the individual, with it being called a 'matter of personal conscience' and there'd be no religious objection to Jehovah's Witnesses saying yes, with the exception of whole blood transfusions.

The rule against blood transfusions had been in place since 1945 and was based on bible verses which told people not to consume blood.

The religion's international spokesperson Paul Gillies told the BBC the change was 'the application of Bible principles to modern medicine and its methods', saying they should avoid 'overreach'.

Isaac's twin brother Jacob, who left the Jehovah's Witnesses, has been asking why the change wasn't made sooner.

Following his brother's death he messaged members of his Isaac's congregation telling them to consider 'the part you played in encouraging so many people to sacrifice their life for something that was never God's will'.

Valdez refused blood transfusions and died in August, less than a month later his religion allowed them (Family Handout)

He wanted to know why it took so long for something to change that might have meant his brother accepted treatment needed to save his life.

Gillies said that changes take time 'because it takes time', and the new guidance 'doesn't necessarily mean that there is some magic change that's taken place'.

Responding to the change, John Viney, an ex-Jehovah’s Witness and former member of the Jehovah’s Witness Hospital Liaison Committee, said: "This u-turn in the strict Jehovah’s Witness ‘no blood’ policy is not just a ‘clarification’ but a life saving move for any future member who needs a transfusion of any of the main components of blood.

"What a shame God did not ‘clarify’ it years ago when I was at the bedside of a lady who died for refusing red cell transfusion. Or any of the children who appeared on the front of their Watchtower magazine who died because they were told God required obedience in this matter.

"This may be explained by Jehovah’s Witness leaders as an 'update’ but it can’t bring back those thousands that missed the update."

A medical review in 2016 found that over 1,000 Jehovah's Witnesses died each year because of the rule on refusing blood transfusions.