Canada lifts rtrictns on gay men donatg blood | PBS NewsHour

Contents:

• CANADA LIFTS RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD
• CANADIAN BLOOD SERVIC NOW ALLOWS SOME GAY, BISEXUAL MEN TO DONATE PLASMA CALGARY, LONDON, ONT.
• HEALTH CANADA ENDS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN
• CANADA TO LIFT BLOOD DONATN BAN ON SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY, BISEXUAL MEN
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• GAY BLOOD DONATN BAN IS INEFFECTIVE, HEALTH CANADA DOCUMENTS SHOW

CANADA LIFTS RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD

Calgary paramedic 'elated' as Canada ends blood ban for men who have sex wh menBlood service remends endg ban on gay men donatg bloodInstead of beg asked about genr or sexualy, potential donors will be screened on higher-risk sexual behavur, such as anal sex. Christopher Karas, who filed a human rights plat agast Health Canada to remove the ferral, says the policy still stigmatiz gay, bisexual men, and some transgenr people.

Christopher Karas, a gay man who filed a human rights plat agast Health Canada, says the new policy still stigmatiz gay and bisexual men. (Evan Msui/CBC)"But I know that a lot of gay, bi men and trans people will still be barred by this policy, so I thk 's a b unfortunate that the ernment has cid this is the approach they want to take, " said Karas.

CANADIAN BLOOD SERVIC NOW ALLOWS SOME GAY, BISEXUAL MEN TO DONATE PLASMA CALGARY, LONDON, ONT.

"What they're sayg is that gay and bi men and transgenr [people]... Prevly, the feral ernment has tried to block Karas's urt challenge that argu Health Canada is discrimatg agast gay men by overseeg a ban that prevents men who have sex wh other men om donatg blood. ListenThere's no reason for Canada to ntue banng gay men om donatg blood, says journalistPEERS Alliance says end to ban on gay blood donatn has been 'a long time g'When prsed by reporters on whether Health Canada played a plic role the discrimatory policy, T said scientific evince was need and didn't exist.

OTTAWA (AP) — Health Canada on Thursday lifted rtrictns on gay men donatg blood, a move Prime Mister Jt T said was “good news for all Canadians” but had taken too long. Health Canada approved the requt by Canadian Blood Servic to end the policy that rtricts homosexuals om donatg blood for three months after engagg gay sex.

The policy began 1992 as an outright ban on gay men donatg blood followg a tated blood sndal. Several chang were later ma to the blood donatn regime until ferral perds for donatns by gay men were lowered om a lifetime ban to three months 2019.

HEALTH CANADA ENDS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN

LondonCanadian Blood Servic is takg the first steps to allowg gay and bisexual men who have sex wh men — which lls the gbMSM muny — to donate blood plasma, startg the tt ci of Calgary and London, agency's prev policy has been lled discrimatory, cludg by men who have sex wh menBlood plasma is the straw-loured liquid ponent left when blood cells are removed om whole blood. Canadian Blood Servic is ttg out s plasma donatn eligibily, London, Ont., and Calgary, for gay and bisexual men who have sex wh men.

(Hiep Vu via Canadian Blood Servic)Canadian Blood Servic is takg the first steps to allowg gay and bisexual men who have sex wh men — which lls the gbMSM muny — to donate blood plasma, which is startg two tt ci: Calgary, Alta., and London, marks the first time the agency is openg donatns to gay and bisexual men. My blood is a rare type and ed to donate regularly before gay men were banned.

"Plasma donated by gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men London and Calgary will be ma to plasma prote products when the donor at least 60 days later wh a plasma donatn that tts negative for fect diseas.

CANADA TO LIFT BLOOD DONATN BAN ON SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY, BISEXUAL MEN

It is ed a variety of treatments for rare, life-threateng, chronic and geic years, Canadian Blood Servic has e unr fire for not allowg men who have sex wh men to donate blood, a practice many ll homophobic.

The agency did not say when would expand the current plasma donatn abily to other centr beyond Calgary and ferral perd drops to 3 months for gay, bisexual men"We unrstand that beg turned away om donatg n leave any donor wh a sense of tratn and disappotment, " the agency said. "We also regnize that the slow pace of chang to donor creria that still exclu many gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men has been paful and tratg for many, and we are workg to create a more clive system. Canadian Blood Servic has today remend that Canada end the ban on gay men donatg blood, a submissn to Health McIntosh/The Canadian PrsThe feral ernment will no longer tomatilly ban sexually active gay and bisexual men om donatg blood to Canadian Blood Servic, endg a policy that has long been cricized as discrimatory and lackg scientific Canada announced the cisn Thursday, years after Prime Mister Jt T promised to elimate the ban.

LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS

Prr to Thursday’s announcement, Canada blocked gay and bisexual men, as well as other men who have sex wh men, om donatg blood unls three months had passed sce their last sexual ntact wh men.

Opn: Canada should have scrapped s homophobic ban on blood donatns om gay men long agoBlood service remends Health Canada end gay blood donatn banCanadian Blood Servic spokperson Cathere Lewis said the new procs is ground science. In 2013, Health Canada said gay men uld donate blood, so long as they had not had sex wh other men the prr five Liberal Party promised to end the ban durg the 2015 electn mpaign that brought the T ernment to power. But there is one easily implementable solutn to the natnal blood-supply shortage that’s been available for years and uld be a lifele: allowg gay and bisexual men to donate eely.

S., gay and bisexual men (often referred to as MSM, or “men who have sex wh men”) are not allowed to give blood if they’ve had sex wh another man the past three months. “It is my opn that we ntue to have a real problem wh laws and regulatns based on fear rather than science, ” she ntuatn of a MSM-specific barrier to givg is not only limg the blood supply, ’s unnecsary and “rooted homophobia, ” explas Perry N. ”In 2015, theFDA loosened s rtrictn, permtg gay and bisexual men to donate blood as long as they hadn’t had sex wh another man the past year.

GAY BLOOD DONATN BAN IS INEFFECTIVE, HEALTH CANADA DOCUMENTS SHOW

For example, if you’re a gay man who wears ndoms durg sex, you lim your risk of ntractg HIV. Same go for gay men who are married or a long-term monogamo relatnship. Conducted tanm wh the natn’s largt blood centers—the Amerin Red Cross, Valant, and OneBlood—the rearch effort will survey 2, 000 gay and bisexual men across the untry between the ag of 18 and 30 who have had sex wh at least one man the past three months.

”The policy change uld have a signifint posive effect on the mental health of gay and bisexual men, too. It also puts gay and bisexual men at higher risk for acquirg HIV over time. “Social and stctural factors that e gay men to feel othered e them to engage risky sexual behavr, ” Halkis says.