Several changes were later made to the blood donation regime until deferral periods for donations by gay men were lowered from a lifetime ban to three months in 2019.Ī Red Cross worker handles a blood donation, while at a basketball court in Los Angeles, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy began in 1992 as an outright ban on gay men donating blood following a tainted blood scandal. The agency says asking about sexual behavior rather than sexual orientation will allow it to more reliably assess the risk of infections such as HIV.Ĭatherine Lewis, a spokeswoman for Canadian Blood Services, said the criteria change is “science-informed“ and allows the agency to be more inclusive about who can donate while still ensuring a safe blood supply. If they have, they will need to wait three months after such activity before donating blood. (Each state determines its own age of majority, which can be different for different activities.) Persons under the age of 17 may, however, donate blood. Those younger than age 17 are almost always legal minors (not yet of the age of majority) who cannot give consent by themselves to donate blood.
Those who say yes will be asked if they have engaged in higher-sisk sex. In-Depth Discussion of Age and Blood Donation. 30, potential donors will be asked if they have had new or multiple sexual partners in the last previous months, no matter their gender or sexual orientation. The blood service asked Health Canada to allow it to scrap questions about gender or sexuality, and instead base screening on higher-risk sexual behavior such as anal sex.
CAN GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD IN EUROPE HOW TO
READ MORE: How to help amid a national blood shortage Health Canada approved the request by Canadian Blood Services to end the policy that restricts homosexuals from donating blood for three months after engaging in gay sex.
Trudeau said his government spent C$5 million dollars (US$3.9 million) on research into the safety aspects of changing the blood donation rules and multiple scientific reports showed “our blood supply will continue to be safe.” Trudeau said at a news conference 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. OTTAWA (AP) - Health Canada on Thursday lifted restrictions on gay men donating blood, a move Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said was “good news for all Canadians” but had taken too long.