Canadian Blood Services says Health Canada has approved its request to end a policy that restricts men who have sex with men from donating blood for three months after being sexually active.
Canadian Blood Services has asked Health Canada to allow it to cancel gender or sexuality issues, instead relying on screening for riskier sexual behaviors such as anal sex.
It says no later than September 30, potential donors will be asked if they have had new or multiple sexual partners in the past three months, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.
They will then be asked if they have had anal sex with any of these partners, and if they have, then they will have to wait three months after this activity before donating blood.
The agency says asking about sexual behavior rather than sexual orientation will allow it to assess more reliably the risk of infections such as HIV that can be transmitted through infusions.
It is also said that the change comes after “countless hours” of work by LGBTQ and other groups that have long advocated for a change in policy.
WATCH A Conservative MP calls for an end to the “blood ban”:
“It’s high time to end the blood ban in Canada,” said the Conservative MP
Conservative MP Eric Duncan has proposed a private member, calling on the liberal government to lift the ban on blood donations from men who have recently had sex with other men. 2:37
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