They write, “when a discriminatory policy isn’t justified by the science, it leads to controversy.”īut many believe that the epidemiology of HIV in gay men justifies the maintenance of the ban. The authors believe that it is time to change policy again. Replacing the life-time ban with the one-year deferment would, the authors argue, increase the pool of potential donors with only a “negligible” increase in the risk of an HIV-infected donation entering the blood supply.ĭonation policy was recently changed in Canada to allow Haitians to donate blood. This would allow HIV-negative gay men who have been in a stable monogamous relationship for one year or more to give blood. The investigators believe that this is discriminatory and advocate the replacement of the lifetime ban with a deferral. Heterosexuals with multiple partners are only asked to defer giving blood for one year. Gay men, individuals who have engaged in transactional sex, and injecting drug users are currently permanently excluded from donating blood in Canada.īut bans for other groups are based on individual behaviour. Individuals wishing to give blood in Canada (and other countries) are asked to complete a questionnaire about their HIV risk behaviour.
All these technologies reduce the risk of an HIV-infected donation entering the blood supply to a negligible level, the researchers argue. Moreover, improvements in HIV testing technology have substantially reduced the 'window period' between infection with HIV and the development of antibodies, and the use of nucleic acid testing to check pooled samples of donations means that the window period can be further reduced.
The NDP critic and deputy critic for LGBTQ rights, Randall Garrison and Blake Desjarlais, said in a joint statement, that “finally allowing men who have sex with men to donate blood is a long-overdue victory for men who have sex with men, community members and allies who have worked tirelessly for years to push the government to act.Although the investigators acknowledge that HIV prevalence amongst gay men is 67-fold higher than that in the general Canadian population, they note that 94% of gay men are HIV-negative. “This change is a significant step, but we know we still have considerable work to do to build trust and repair relationships with LGBTQ communities, and we commit to doing so.” It also says the shift comes after “countless hours” of work by LGBTQ and other groups, who have long advocated for a change in policy.Ĭatherine Lewis, a spokeswoman for Canadian Blood Services, said: “This criteria change is science-informed and will enable us to be more inclusive about who can donate while, as always, ensuring safe, adequate blood and plasma supplies for patients in Canada.” The agency says asking about sexual behaviour, rather than sexual orientation, will allow it to more reliably assess the risk of infections such as HIV that can be transmitted through infusions. If any potential donor replies yes, they would then be asked whether they have had anal sex with any of those partners and if they have, they would need to wait three months since that activity before donating blood. 30, potential donors will be asked instead if they have had new or multiple sexual partners in the last three months, no matter their gender or sexual orientation. The blood service had asked Health Canada to allow it to scrap questions about gender or sexuality, basing screening on higher-risk sexual behaviour such as anal sex instead. Health Canada Thursday approved the request by Canadian Blood Services to end the policy that restricts men who have sex with men from donating blood for three months. Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, who disclosed his first partner had died of AIDS 30 years ago, said the change in donation rules now meant that “my blood is as good as anyone’s blood in this room” and was a step forward in human rights and “ending stigma.” Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said the announcement was a “magnificent day” and another step forward for LGBTQ rights. He said his government invested $5 million dollars in research into the safety aspects of changing the blood donation rules and multiple scientific reports showed “our blood supply will continue to be safe.” Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa, Trudeau said the ban should have ended 10 to 15 years ago, but research proving it would not affect the safety of the blood supply had not been done by previous governments. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said ending the discriminatory ban was “good news for all Canadians” but had taken too long. Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows Tourism GuideĪn end to the ban on gay men donating blood has been approved by Health Canada and could be brought in by September.