UK relaxes blood donation rules for gay, bisexual men; activists 'immensely proud'

In a “landmark change” the blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men are being relaxed across the United Kingdom. According to The Guardian, the NHS blood service has announced that the new criteria focus on individual behaviours, lifting a blanket ban for any men who have had sex with men in the last three months. According to the new policy change, the men who have sex with men in a long-term relationship will now be able to donate blood at any time and the changes will be implemented by summer 2021. 

The move has been welcomed by several campaigners who have fought to overturn rules that “perpetuate inequality”. The rules, however, will require all men who have had sex with men to abstain from intercourse for three months to give blood. The policy change will also mean risk assessments for donors will be conducted on individual bases, rather than a population-based one. Further, it will mean that anyone with the same sexual partner will be able to donate, but only if they are not using anti-HIV drugs Prep or PEP. 

The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood recommended the latest changes after examining the recent evidence relating to blood donation and sexual behaviour. Acknowledging that “all donors” have potential to carry infections, the government announced that the UK has now become one of the first countries in the world to adopt a “more individualised risk-based approach” to donor selection criteria. 

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Campaigners welcome the policy change 

According to reports, campaigners, including the founder of FreedomToDonate, Ethan Spibey, applauded UK’s step. They said that they are “immensely proud” that more people than ever will be able to fairly give the life-saving gift of blood. Spibey said that the change in policy will allow for the “potential of so many safe donors” to be fulfilled. He further noted that the blood service had announced at the beginning of 2020 that it needed 68,000 new male donors. 

Dr Michael Bradly, who the medical director at Terrence Higgins Trust, also welcomed the change. He said that there is certainly more work to do, but he added that the government will continue to work to ensure that blood donation service is inclusive, evidence-based and both maximises the numbers who can donate while ensuring that blood supply is safe. Moreover, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, also welcomed the step and said that it “recognises” individuals for the actions they take, rather than their sexual preference. 

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