September 9, 2011 | Health Matters

Gays can now give blood in the UK

Men who have ever had sex with another man are no longer prohibited from giving blood in the UK. However, the Department of Health has stated that although the lifetime ban on homosexuals has been removed, there will still be a one-year deferral period, meaning men who have had gay sex in the last 12 months still cannot donate blood.

The new policy begins November 7th in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland is still considering the change.

The government’s Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) has been looking into the issue for some time, and determined that the lifetime ban, implemented in the 1980s, could no longer be justified.

Committee member Deirdre Kelly explained that "the risk from a 12-month deferral was equivalent to permanent deferral" so "the evidence does not support the maintenance of a permanent ban."

Gay rights charity Stonewall felt the change was a “step in the right direction” but argued the new policy still unfairly targets gay men, instead of targeting risky sexual behavior. 

“Safety must remain paramount," said Stonewall's Ben Summerskill. "However at a time of national shortages in blood, everyone who can give blood at no risk to recipients should be able to donate."

Other countries that have enacted similar changes include South Africa, with a six-month gap between gay sex and blood donation, and Australia, Sweden and Japan, each of which insists on a 12-month deferral period for homosexuals.

Gay men blood donor ban to be lifted [BBC]