Ottawa is following in the footsteps of several countries including the United Kingdom, France and Israel.
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The government was pleased to have laid down “an important milestone towards a more inclusive blood donation system”. Canada announced Thursday, April 28 the abandonment of a three-month abstinence period imposed on gay men wishing to donate blood. Ottawa is following in the footsteps of several countries including the United Kingdom, France and Israel.
By September 30, a new approach will be put in place: only donors who engage in sexual behaviors considered high risk, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation, will now be excluded.
The request was made by the Canadian Blood Services, which operates across Canada, with the exception of Quebec.
“Today’s approval (…) builds on the advancement of scientific data over the past few years”justified the Ministry of Health.
The lifetime ban on gay men donating blood was introduced after a tainted blood scandal that saw thousands of Canadians infected with HIV after receiving transfusions in the 1980s.
In recent years, the abstinence period has been lowered: gay men could only donate blood in Canada after an abstinence period of 5 years in 2013, then one year in 2016 and finally three months in 2019. Recently, France, Spain, Italy, Israel and England have changed their conditions for access to blood donation in this direction.