Northern Ireland Lifts Lifetime Ban on Gay Men Donating Blood

The ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men will come to an end in the Northern Ireland from September 1, 2016, said, Health Minister, Michelle O'Neill.

O'Neill announced the lifting of the ban during a visit to The Rainbow Project, a gay and lesbian rights advocacy organization in Belfast, her party Sinn Fein said.

Gay Men in Small Cities Less Likely To Be Tested For HIV
The lower HIV testing rates among gay men in small cities are linked to feelings of homophobia and a reluctance to disclose sexual preferences at a doctor's office.

‘Gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland will be allowed to donate blood one year after their last sexual contact with another man.’

Tweet it Now

During the visit, O'Neill said that her priority was the patient safety, but there was no evidence to support the continuation of the ban.

However, she appealed to men to honor the one-year moratorium on homosexual intercourse before donation which applies in other parts of Britain.

"Not even the most advanced tests are 100 percent reliable, so it is vitally important for every donor to comply with any deferral rules that apply to them," she said.

France to Repeal Ban on Gay Men Donating Blood
Blood donation will be open to gay men who have not been sexually active for the preceding 12 months.

The blanket ban had been in place across the United Kingdom since 1981 in response to the AIDS crisis but in November 2011 England, Scotland and Wales agreed to permit donation provided the donor had abstained from gay sex for the previous 12 months.

The end of the ban comes just eight days after O'Neill, a member of the center-left nationalist Sinn Fein party which promised to end the controversial ban in its election manifesto, replaced hardline Democrat Unionist, Jim Wells, as health minister in the local Stormont assembly.

Young Gay Men in the US Have More Female Friends Than Heterosexual Men
The influence of gender on friendship is observed in the case of young gay men who have more female friends than heterosexual males.

Wells courted controversy earlier this year when he claimed that gay parents were more likely to sexually abuse children.

The previous incumbent Edwin Poots, also a prominent Democratic Unionist, a party that opposes gay rights, had mounted a legal challenge to retain the ban.

Ban on Gay Men Donating Blood Repealed in Canada
Canadian health authorities have announced new rules making men who have not had sex with men in the past five years eligible to donate blood.

The new policy will come into effect on September 1 to give the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service time to effect the change.

Source-AFP