The Eastern Orthodox Church has no doctrinal prohibition on blood transfusions. Modern medical procedures, including blood transfusions, are considered morally permissible and consistent with the Christian duty to care for the body as a gift from God and to heal the sick. No Ecumenical Council, patriarchal encyclical, or synodal document from any major Orthodox church has identified blood transfusions as theologically problematic.

Orthodox bioethical reflection—developed through Church-affiliated hospitals and medical ethics programs, particularly in Greece and the United States—applies principles from patristic anthropology and the Church's pastoral tradition. The Old Testament prohibition on consuming blood (applied in Acts 15:29) is understood in its alimentary context and is not applied to medical blood transfusion. The contrast with the Jehovah's Witnesses' prohibition is complete.