Gay blood donor ban to be lifted in UK

[Camy]

The lifetime ban on blood donations by homosexual and bisexual men will be lifted in England, Scotland and Wales.

Ministers have agreed to let men who have not had sex with another man in the past 12 months donate from November.

That's very kind of them.

The restrictions were put in place in the 1980s to prevent the risk of HIV contamination.

However, the latest medical evidence presented to a government panel argued the ban could no longer be justified.

Ministers in the three countries accepted the argument and said they would be relaxing the rules. Northern Ireland is expected to make a decision soon.

Several other countries have already come to similar verdicts.

The National Blood Service screens all donations for HIV and other infections. However, there is a "window period" after infection during which it is impossible to detect the virus.

In the UK, a lifetime ban was introduced in the early 1980s as a response to the Aids epidemic and the lack of adequate HIV tests.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14824310

[dude]

Ministers have agreed to let men who have not had sex with another man in the past 12 months donate from November.

How kind, indeed!

And I suppose those having had sex with 'crack whores' are still exempt?

[EleCivil]

How kind, indeed!

And I suppose those having had sex with 'crack whores' are still exempt?

Only if the crack whore isn't sharing needles with a man who has had sex with a man in the last twelve months. That'd be risky.

[JamesSavik]

I have B- blood and when I was a teen, I was a steady donor. In fact I got called when they needed the type.

I got tired of being a "blood doll" and cut back to once a quarter and then twice a year.

When the Red Cross finally banned gay people from giving blood out right, they didn't have a "gay list" so they asked and I told.

Haven't given since and if asked, I'd probably tell them where to stick their needles.