Health Canada ends ban on blood donatns om gay men - The Globe and Mail

Contents:

• CANADIAN BLOOD SERVIC NOW ALLOWS SOME GAY, BISEXUAL MEN TO DONATE PLASMA CALGARY, LONDON, ONT.
• CANADA LIFTS RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD
• CANADA TO LIFT BLOOD DONATN BAN ON SEXUALLY ACTIVE GAY, BISEXUAL MEN
• WHAT ARE THE BLOOD DONATN L GLOBALLY FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN?
• GAY MEN N NOW DONATE BLOOD CANADA, AS LONG AS THEY ABSTA OM SEX
• BLOOD SERVIC TO REMEND ENDG BAN ON DONATNS OM GAY MEN
• LETTG GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD COULD HELP SOLVE A MAJOR HEALTH CRISIS
• LGBTQ ACTIVISTS HOPE OFFICIALS LET GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD AMID COVID-19 NCELLATNS
• BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN
• HEALTH CANADA ENDS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN
• BLOOD SERVICE REMENDS ENDG BAN ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD
• CANADA LIFTS BAN ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD; MT BE ABSTENT FOR 5 YEARS
• FDA MOV TO EASE L FOR BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN
• NEW US BLOOD DONATN L ALLOW MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN TO GIVE

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

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.

"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. 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.

CANADA LIFTS RTRICTNS ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD

"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. 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.

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

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.

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.

WHAT ARE THE BLOOD DONATN L GLOBALLY FOR GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN?

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. 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. “To remove this part that was discrimatory towards men who have sex wh men, gay men and bisexuals, ’s a step the right directn for the LGBTQ2S+ people this untry.

GAY MEN N NOW DONATE BLOOD CANADA, AS LONG AS THEY ABSTA OM SEX

S., the Red Cross, along wh One Blood, Valant and partner LGBTQ+ muny health centers, are participatg a pilot study fund by the FDA select ci that uld potentially lead to chang for blood donor eligibily creria for gay and bisexual men.

(This May 11 story rrects date and time reference for France fal par)LONDON (Thomson Rters Foundatn) - Countri around the world are reviewg rtrictns on blood donatns by gay and bisexual men imposed durg the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis, wh some removg blanket bans and others rcg wag perds after gay ’s Supreme Court led on Friday that a 12-month ferral perd for gay and bi men to give blood was unnstutnal, a policy LGBT+ mpaigners had long argued was discrimatory given morn blood-screeng now, Brazil’s ernment will have to treat gay and bisexual men the same as heterosexual men when donatg blood.

It uld wre a new law that restat the ban, but s posn is not yet blood suppli have e unr prsure due to the ronavis panmic, lls have grown for ernments to replace abstence perds for men who have sex wh men to donate blood wh dividual risk-based month, the Uned Stat and Northern Ireland cut their abstence perds, while Atralia said plans to do are the l erng blood donatn by gay and bi men around the world:- Countri that impose lifelong bans on gay and bisexual men donatg blood clu Croatia, Iceland, Malaysia, Slovenia, Sgapore, Tridad and Tobago and Ukrae- At least 17 untri now have no rtrictns, cludg Argenta, Italy, Rsia, South Ai, Spa and, as of January this year, Hungary- In April 2020, the Uned Stat cut s celibacy perd om 12 months to three months amid a blood shortage- Last month, Northern Ireland also rced s ferral perd om one year to three months, brgg to le wh regulatns the rt of the Uned Kgdom- Some untri differentiate between blood products and blood general, but Bra men who have had sex wh another man the last three months and revered om Covid-19 nnot donate their plasma to a ronavis treatment trial- Most untri do not mentn whether takg Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), a HIV-preventn dg, affects gay and bi men’s abily to donate blood.

BLOOD SERVIC TO REMEND ENDG BAN ON DONATNS OM GAY MEN

Bra says s three-month abstence perd appli regardls of whether someone tak PrEP or not- When Atralia announced s tentn to cut the abstence perd om 12 months to three April, said people takg PrEP would still have a 12-month abstence perd- Atria lifted a blanket ban on men who have sex wh men givg blood, replacg wh a 12-month abstence perd for gay and bi men December 2019- In March, Denmark lifted s lifelong ban, implementg a prevly announced wag perd of four months- France has had a wag perd of 12 months sce 2016, when lifted a ban on gay and bisexual men givg blood that had been place sce 1983Sourc: Thomson Rters Foundatn rearch, RtersReportg by Rachel Savage @rachelmsavage and Elsa Ohlen; Addnal reportg by Fab Teixeira; Edg by Helen Popper and Hugo Greenhalgh.

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

Gay men will once aga be allowed to donate blood Canada, as long as they've been celibate for at least five years.

Acrdg to CP, several other untri allow gay men to donate blood, some applyg a shorter ferral perd than the five-year le Canada is adoptg. In Bra and Atralia, gay men are eligible if they haven't had sex a year, while South Ai 's six months.

LGBTQ ACTIVISTS HOPE OFFICIALS LET GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD AMID COVID-19 NCELLATNS

”In a Postmedia News piece, Lren Strapagiel lled the move a step forward but said gay men phg to be allowed to donate blood were still severely rtricted.

Canadian Blood Servic says plans to subm s remendatn to end the gay blood ban to Health Canada wh the next two Isra Levy, Blood Servic’ vice-print of medil affairs, said at the anizatn’s board meetg Friday that s submissn will say sexual behavur, not sexual orientatn, term risk of transmissn of said will remend that men givg blood no longer be asked durg the screeng procs if they’ve had sex wh another man. Blood service, which has already end s gay blood ’s blood service plans to remend to Health Canada that screeng qutns be changed along U.

Screeng is an important part of limg risk to blood recipients, acrdg to the agency’s stands now Canada, a gay man who has had sex wh one partner the last three months nnot give blood, but a straight man uld, even if he has had sex wh multiple partners durg the same time ame. An end to the ban on gay and bisexual men om donatg blood — promised by Prime Mister Jt T 2015 — is set to be remend wh weeks favour of new screeng creria based on sexual history and behavur.

BLOOD DONATN BY GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN

Feral judge rejects Health Canada's claim has no role barrg gay men om donatg bloodLiberal ndidate ref to fend blood donatn rtrictns for some gay menThe blood service says is preparg to ce evince om untri that do not ask donors such qutns, as well as rearch on risk of HIV transmissn, s submissn to Health Canada wh the next six weeks. But anyone who has had anal sex wh a new partner or multiple partners the prev three months — regardls of their partner's genr — mt wa three months before stands now Canada, a gay man who has had sex wh one partner the last three months nnot give blood, but a straight man n, no matter how many partners he has had sex wh durg the same time Mister Jt T has e unr prsure om MPs and the LGBTQ muny to scrap qutns for donors aimed at gay men. Chang 'long overdue, ' says NDP MPT has e unr prsure om MPs and the LGBTQ muny to scrap qutns for donors aimed at gay men.

Canadian Blood Servic now allows some gay, bisexual men to donate plasma Calgary, London, mtee to study blood donor l for men who've had sex wh men"I have been llg for a shift to risk-based creria for a .

HEALTH CANADA ENDS BAN ON BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN

I have argued there are two thgs wrong [wh this policy]: rtrictg the blood supply and promotg homophobia, " he Canada, which regulat the blood service, n only change the creria if evince is prented showg this will not crease risk.

We have more evince than ever before, stemmg om the MSM Rearch Program, ternatnal data and Canada-specific risk mollg, that dit sexual behavur-based screeng will not troduce risk to the blood supply, " Lewis troduced a lifetime ban for gay men 1992.

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.

BLOOD SERVICE REMENDS ENDG BAN ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD

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.

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. “Social and stctural factors that e gay men to feel othered e them to engage risky sexual behavr, ” Halkis says.

CANADA LIFTS BAN ON GAY MEN DONATG BLOOD; MT BE ABSTENT FOR 5 YEARS

So a ban like this isn’t jt harmful to the Amerin public; “’s credibly harmful to the gay muny, both emotnally and physilly. The first step is to sign GLAAD’s petn at You then n—and should—te those around you, “sce many people, cludg gay and bi men, don’t know that this ban exists, ” adds Lasky. Let them know you don’t support discrimatory practic that ban gay and bisexual men om dog their civic duty.

"When we see notic about blood shortag and the urgent need for donatn, 's very tratg to be a posn where you n't donate even though you would be an eligible match, " said Costcu, a sexual health specialist and associate profsor at McMaster anizatn won't allow gay and bisexual men like Costcu to donate blood if they are sexually active unr s current guil — spe seeg people ncel appotments amid lls for social distancg to avoid spreadg the l state that men n't have sex wh other men for three months before beg allowed to give blood bee the anizatn believ the hort is a high-risk group, as they acunt for the largt proportn of new HIV fectns reported Dt Costcu, a sexual health specialist and associate profsor at McMaster Universy Haton, who is gay, said Canadian Blood Servic should look to gay and bisexual men as donors. (McMaster Universy)Gay and bisexual men have faced rtrictns sce the tated blood sndal of the 1980s, when thoands of Canadians were fected wh HIV or hepatis C om donated blood.

FDA MOV TO EASE L FOR BLOOD DONATNS OM GAY MEN

That approach screens out gay men who have unprotected sex wh multiple partners, as opposed to those who are monogamo ferral perd drops to 3 months for gay, bisexual menOpnThis is not your father's gay blood ban era. Costcu also said now is the time to donate bee all the ncellatns and closur have eed up time to give blood, pecially before Canada se a spike s that aren't travel-related — but the polici preventg gay and bisexual men to donate are workg agast that.

"To ny that life-givg opportuny to gay and bi-sexual men who have the same ways of wantg to be a part of the muny as anyone else would is so offensive. "Costcu, and many others cludg Pike, say CBS' rearch isn't rooted science, but homophobic stereotyp.

NEW US BLOOD DONATN L ALLOW MORE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN TO GIVE

They don't thk there's any reason to le out all gay and bi men, pecially if they practice safe sex, don't have sex often or are a monogamo relatnship.

That’s why AABB has led efforts to make blood donatn clive of non-bary donors and champned the adoptn of equable, science-based dividual donor asssment (IDA) procs to terme blood donor eligibily that wele LGBTQ+ blood donors, strengthen the blood supply and save Approv Historic Expansn of Donor EligibilyOn May 11, 2023, the Food and Dg Admistratn issued a fal guidance elimatg time-based blood donor ferral perds for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex wh men (MSM) and women who have sex wh MSM. 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. 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.