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Rosser calls the new guidelines “a major step. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I understand why, legally, it’s not discriminatory, but for our community it certainly felt (like it),” he said. Not being allowed to donate left him feeling marginalized, he said. Men who have sex with men have been eligible to give blood or plasma only if it has been more than three months since their last sexual contact with a man.Īndrew Rosser, who has been a community adviser to Canadian Blood Services for more than eight years, said he has been “passionate about wanting to donate blood” ever since he received donated blood 14 years ago. “But to be frank, we’ve all been a little impatient.” Ours and other organizations like ours and others are taking part in it,” D’Amelio said. “I think it is important this is happening. “I, for one, would love to give blood,” said Stephen D’Amelio, president of Pride London, an organization that represents the city’s LGBTQ2+ community.Ĭanadian Blood Services, an organization that provides blood, plasma and stem cells used for transfusion and transplantation, recently announced that gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are eligible to donate plasma if, during the last three months, they and their partners only have had sex with each other.ĭonations can be made in London and Calgary. Top cabinet ministers have also shifted responsibility to CBS saying it was up to the agency to file an application with its regulator.Some say the expanded eligibility for gay men to donate plasma still isn’t inclusive enough. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been criticized for repeatedly promising policy change while failing to follow through in lifting the ban. "We know, however, that we still have considerable work to do to build trust and repair relationships with historically underrepresented communities and individuals across the country." "Over the past six months, we've marked some important milestones on our journey to build a more inclusive blood system and to foster a culture that is as welcoming as possible," CEO Dr.
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The move is also part of the organization's commitment to "build a more inclusive blood system," which also includes updating donor registration to be more inclusive to trans and non-binary donors, developing an indigenous reconciliation plan and appointing CBS' first chief diversity officer. Santiago/GettyĬBS said a change in policy would not compromise the safety or adequacy of blood supply, pointing to risk modeling that shows expanding eligibility would not increase the risk of introducing HIV to recipients of blood donations. A worker with Vitalant prepares for the Hoboken community Vitalant blood drive held at Hoboken Rec Center on Jin Hoboken, New Jersey. The Canadian Blood Services has filed an application to move towards a sexual behaviour-based screening for all donors, regardless of sexual orientation. If it is approved, all donors will be asked if they have recently engaged in anal sex with new or multiple partners within a certain time frame. While the policy has been modified over the years, slowly allowing for gay men to donate blood so long as they are not sexually active for a determined amount of time, Wednesday's application moves to end the ban entirely. In the 1980s and early 1990s, thousands of Canadians became infected with HIV after being exposed to contaminated blood products stemming from CBS' predecessor, the Canadian Red Cross, failure to properly screen donors. The policy prohibiting donations from gay men began as an outright lifetime ban in 1992 during the aftermath of the AIDS crisis. It would precisely and reliably identify those who may have a transfusion-transmissible infection, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation." "The change we are proposing would focus on high-risk sexual behaviour among all donors.
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"Sexual behavior, not sexual orientation, determines risk of sexual transmission of HIV," Canadian Blood Services ( CBS) said in a December 3 press release. The organization, which operates the nation's blood donations in all provinces and territories except for Quebec, is seeking to move towards a sexual behavior-based screening for all donors, rather than only targeting those who have had sex with another man. Currently, these groups can only donate if they have abstained from sexual activity for the past three months. On Wednesday, the non-profit filed a new application with its regulator, Health Canada, to approve the donor eligibility change to end the donation ban against gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, as well as certain trans people who have sex with men. The Canadian Blood Services is moving to end a 30-year ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.