UK drops abstinence period on gay men donating blood
Gay and bisexual men had long faced restrictions when donating blood due to HIV fears. The new rules will allow men in long-term relationships to donate without a celibacy period.
Men in long term relationships with other men will no longer require a period of celibacy to donate
The United Kingdom on Monday lifted its ban on gay and bisexual men in long term relationships donating blood. The previous policy banned men who have had sex with men in the past three months from donating blood, due to fears of HIV transmission.
U.K. Will Make It Easier For Gay And Bisexual Men To Donate Blood
Monday, December 14, 2020
The U.K. announced new rules for blood donation that are defined by individual behaviors, rather than sexuality and gender.
Piyanat Booncharoen / EyeEm / Getty Images/EyeEm
Britain has announced changes that will allow more gay and bixsexual men to donate blood – a major victory for campaigners who had sought changes to the rules they said treated all gay and bi men as posing an increased risk of infection.
Previously, the government s donor policy dictated that men who have sex with men had to abstain for three months in order to donate.
Research helps shape new blood donation rules for men who have sex with men miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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image captionMore people will be able to donate blood under the new scheme from summer 2021
Men in Scotland will no longer be automatically barred from giving blood if they have had sex with another man in the past three months.
Scotland s public health minister said a fairer assessment would be made to determine a person s risk of passing on blood-borne infection.
It will mean changes to the questions asked by the transfusion service about a man s recent sexual behaviour.
The change is expected to take effect in the summer 2021.
Prior to 2011, men who have sex with men were not able to donate blood at all in the UK.
More gay and bisexual men will be able to donate blood following government s landmark rule change manchestereveningnews.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from manchestereveningnews.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.