Men who have sex with men blood donor controversy in the United Kingdom

Last updated

A Donation Not Discrimination protester at the University of Nottingham. University Park MMB G4 Donation not Discrimination.jpg
A Donation Not Discrimination protester at the University of Nottingham.

The MSM blood donor controversy in the United Kingdom refers to the former deferral policy of men who have had sex with men (MSM) in the United Kingdom who wish to donate their blood to UK blood donation services (NHS Blood and Transplant in England, the Welsh Blood Service in Wales, Scotblood in Scotland and the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service in Northern Ireland). Since June 2021, there is no deferral period in all four home nations. This followed an announcement in December 2020 that blood donation policies specific to MSM would be scrapped in favour of personalised risk assessment based on sexual behaviour. [1]

Contents

The UK blood donation services had previously argued that a deferral policy was necessary in order to protect public health and minimise the spread of blood-borne sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV. The policy was adopted based on the scientific advice of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs and was kept under regular review, with the advisory committee advising that the policy was scrapped in December 2020. [1] The policy was criticised as being discriminatory towards gay men, and the deferral was opposed by groups such as the LGBT campaign of the NUS and Stonewall.

History

Blood donation policies for men who have sex with men .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Men who have sex with men may donate blood; No deferral Men who have sex with men may donate blood; Temporary deferral Men who have sex with men may not donate blood; Permanent deferral No Data Map of blood donation policies for men who have sex with men.svg
Blood donation policies for men who have sex with men
  Men who have sex with men may donate blood; No deferral
  Men who have sex with men may donate blood; Temporary deferral
  Men who have sex with men may not donate blood; Permanent deferral
  No Data

1980 lifetime ban

In 1980, MSM were placed under a lifetime ban in terms of blood donation due to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s.[ citation needed ]

2011 one-year deferral

In September 2011 this lifetime ban was lifted in all parts of the UK (excluding Northern Ireland until September 2016), [2] and a 1-year ban was put in place for MSM who are sexually active, regardless of whether safe sex practises were undertaken. [3] [4]

The gay rights group Stonewall said the move was a "step in the right direction". [5] However, a spokesperson pointed to the fact that high-risk heterosexuals would still be less controlled than low-risk gay men: "A gay man in a monogamous relationship who has only had oral sex will still automatically be unable to give blood but a heterosexual man who has had multiple partners and not worn a condom will not be questioned about his behaviour, or even then, excluded." [5] The Independent reported that Andy Wasley, editor in chief of So So Gay magazine, called for "more precise selection criteria" to be used in identifying high-risk potential donors. [6]

It was not clear how much the total amount of blood donated would change following this change, Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust, is quoted as saying it is impossible to say how many men would actually be able to start donating blood, as "the vast majority of gay men are still (sexually) active". [5]

Political opposition to deferral

In 2015, the Green Party of England and Wales claimed that they would "push for consultation on reducing the 12-month blood donation deferral period for men who have sex with men, based on individual risk assessment where the donor is identified to be not at risk of passing infections into the blood supply" in their General Election Manifesto and LGBTIQ Manifesto. [7] [8]

In 2015, Welsh writer and poet RJ Arkhipov exhibited a poetry series written with his own blood as ink in protest of the MSM blood donor restrictions. [9] [10] [11]

The Liberal Democrats' first opposition day motion in the 2015 Parliament called for the government to end the 'gay blood ban'. [12]

2017 three-month deferral

In November 2017, a new blood donation policy within Scotland, England and Wales was enacted, which allowed men who have sex with men to give blood three months after their last sexual activity, instead of 12. Experts said the move would give more people the opportunity to donate blood without affecting blood supply safety. The UK Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs – which advises UK health departments – recommended the changes after concluding that new testing systems were accurate and donors were good at complying with the rules. [13]

Following the restoration of devolution in Northern Ireland in January 2020, the deferral period there was reduced to 3 months, in effect since 1 June 2020. [14]

Criticism

Following the change in deferral period to three months, Stonewall released a statement stating "while a shortened deferral period is an important move, the reality is that most gay and bi men will still be excluded from donating blood." [15] Gay rights groups called for a move to an individualised risk assessment, which takes into account the risk associated with sexual behaviour, regardless of the gender or sex of their partner. [16] This would follow a similar model to Italy, which saw no increase in risk of HIV infection following the change in 2011. [17]

Current policy

Background

In 2019, the UK blood donation services set up the FAIR steering group to explore possibilities of individualised risk assessment with regards to sexual behaviours and risk, in conjunction with Public Health England, Stonewall, the Terrence Higgins Trust and other groups. [18] In December 2020 the FAIR steering group released a report detailing changes to the blood donation requirements to avoid excluding gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs recommended that the blood donation services implement the new policy recommendations. [1]

Policy

On 14 June 2021, the UK implemented a new blood donation policy allowing gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men to donate blood without any waiting periods providing they declare they meet the blood donation eligibility requirement on legally-binding statutory declaration, as with any other donor. [19]

The current policy around sexual behaviour and blood donation eligibility is as follows:

Anyone who has had anal sex and has had more than one partner (or a new partner) in the last three months is still ineligible for donation, regardless of the sex of their partners. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood donation</span> Blood withdrawal for use by another person via transfusion

A blood donation occurs when a person voluntarily has blood drawn and used for transfusions and/or made into biopharmaceutical medications by a process called fractionation. Donation may be of whole blood, or of specific components directly (apheresis). Blood banks often participate in the collection process as well as the procedures that follow it.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) refers to all men who engage in sexual activity with other men, regardless of their sexual orientation or sexual identity. The term was created by epidemiologists in the 1990s, to better study and communicate the spread of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS between all sexually active males, not strictly those identifying as gay, bisexual, pansexual or various other sexualities, but also for example male prostitutes. The term is often used in medical literature and social research to describe such men as a group. It does not describe any specific kind of sexual activity, and which activities are covered by the term depends on context. An alternative term, males who have sex with males is sometimes considered more accurate in cases where those described may not be legal adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Blood Services</span> Canadian health non-profit

Canadian Blood Services is a non-profit charitable organization that is independent from the Canadian government. The Canadian Blood Services was established as Canada's blood authority in all provinces and territories except for Quebec in 1998. The federal, provincial and territorial governments created the Canadian Blood Services through a memorandum of understanding. Canadian Blood Services is funded mainly through the provincial and territorial governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in the Republic of Ireland</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Republic of Ireland are among the most advanced in Europe. Ireland is notable for its transformation from a country holding overwhelmingly conservative attitudes toward LGBT issues, in part due to the opposition by the Roman Catholic Church, to one holding overwhelmingly liberal views in the space of a generation. In May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage on a national level by popular vote. The New York Times declared that the result put Ireland at the "vanguard of social change". Since July 2015, transgender people in Ireland can self-declare their gender for the purpose of updating passports, driving licences, obtaining new birth certificates, and getting married. Both male and female expressions of homosexuality were decriminalised in 1993, and most forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation are now outlawed. Ireland also forbids incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation. Article 41 of the Constitution of Ireland explicitly protects the right to marriage irrespective of sex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Canada</span> Rights of LGBT individuals in Canada

Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are some of the most extensive in the world. Same-sex sexual activity, in private between consenting adults, was decriminalized in Canada on June 27, 1969, when the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968–69 was brought into force upon royal assent. In a landmark decision in 1995, Egan v Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada held that sexual orientation is constitutionally protected under the equality clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world, and the first in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage. In 2022, Canada was the third country in the world, and the first in North America, to fully ban conversion therapy nationwide for both minors and adults.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood donation in England</span>

In England, blood and other tissues are collected by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). NHSBT Blood Donation was previously known as the National Blood Service until it merged with UK Transplant in 2005 to form a NHS special health authority. Other official blood services in the United Kingdom include the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service and the Welsh Blood Service.

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, simply known as Lifeblood, is a branch of the Australian Red Cross responsible for the collection and distribution of blood and biological products in Australia. Lifeblood employs around 3,700 employees across scientific, clinical and support services, processing over one and a half a million blood donations each year. Lifeblood is primarily funded by the Australian Government and state and territory governments.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS), or Seirbhís Fuilaistriúcháin na hÉireann in Irish, was established in Ireland as the Blood Transfusion Service Board (BTSB) by the Blood Transfusion Service Board (Establishment) Order, 1965. It took its current name in April 2000 by Statutory Instrument issued by the Minister for Health and Children to whom it is responsible. The Service provides blood and blood products for humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in the Netherlands</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Netherlands are among the most advanced in the world. Same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1811 after France invaded the country and installed the Napoleonic Code, erasing any remaining sodomy laws. No more sodomy laws were enacted after the country received independence. An age of consent equal with that of heterosexual activity was put in place in 1971. During the late 20th century, awareness surrounding homosexuality grew and society became more tolerant of gay and bisexual people. The changes eventually led to homosexuality's declassification as a mental illness in 1973 and a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation in the military. The Equal Treatment Act 1994 bans discrimination on account of sexual orientation in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other areas. This was extended in 2019 to include discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. After the country began granting same-sex couples registered partnerships benefits in 1998, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001. Same-sex joint and stepchild adoption are also permitted, and lesbian couples can access IVF as well.

The New Zealand Blood Service is the provider of blood services for New Zealand. The service is a Crown entity responsible to New Zealand's Parliament and is governed by a Board appointed by the Minister of Health.

Many countries have laws, regulations, or recommendations that effectively prohibit donations of blood or tissue for organ and corneal transplants from men who have sex with men (MSM), a classification irrespective of their sexual activities with same-sex partners and of whether they identify themselves as bisexual or gay. Temporary restrictions are sometimes called "deferrals", since blood donors who are found ineligible may be found eligible at a later date. However, many deferrals are indefinite meaning that donations are not accepted at any point in the future, constituting a de facto ban. Even men who have monogamous relations with their same-sex partners are found ineligible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of sexual orientation and medicine</span>

Timeline of events related to sexual orientation and medicine

Discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS or serophobia is the prejudice, fear, rejection, and stigmatization of people with HIV/AIDS. Marginalized, at-risk groups such as members of the LGBTQ+ community, intravenous drug users, and sex workers are most vulnerable to facing HIV/AIDS discrimination. The consequences of societal stigma against PLHIV are quite severe, as HIV/AIDS discrimination actively hinders access to HIV/AIDS screening and care around the world. Moreover, these negative stigmas become used against members of the LGBTQ+ community in the form of stereotypes held by physicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in the District of Columbia</span>

In the District of Columbia, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Along with the rest of the country, the District of Columbia recognizes and allows same-sex marriages. The percentage of same-sex households in the District of Columbia in 2008 was at 1.8%, the highest in the nation. This number had grown to 4.2% by early 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Hawaii</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Hawaii enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1973; Hawaii being one of the first six states to legalize it. In 1993, a ruling by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court made Hawaii the first state to consider legalizing same-sex marriage. Following the approval of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act in November 2013, same-sex couples have been allowed to marry on the islands. Additionally, Hawaii law prohibits discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, and the use of conversion therapy on minors has been banned since July 2018. Gay and lesbian couples enjoy the same rights, benefits and treatment as opposite-sex couples, including the right to marry and adopt.

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is a non-profit organisation that provides human blood for transfusion that operates in South Africa, with the exception of the Western Cape, which has its own blood service. The head office of the SANBS is in Constantia Kloof, Gauteng, near Johannesburg, but there are blood collection operations in eight of the nine provinces. Western Cape has a separate blood centre, the Western Cape Blood Service. SANBS was founded in 2001 from a merger of seven blood centres, and was embroiled in controversy in 2004 over a policy of racial profiling for blood safety.

Since reports of emergence and spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States between the 1970s and 1980s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has frequently been linked to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) by epidemiologists and medical professionals. It was first noticed after doctors discovered clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia in homosexual men in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco in 1981. The first official report on the virus was published by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on June 5, 1981, and detailed the cases of five young gay men who were hospitalized with serious infections. A month later, The New York Times reported that 41 homosexuals had been diagnosed with Kaposi's sarcoma, and eight had died less than 24 months after the diagnosis was made.

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2016.

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2020.

Shaneel Shavneel Lal is a Fijian-New Zealand LGBT rights activist, columnist and political commentator. Lal is best known for advocating for the ban of conversion therapy in New Zealand.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Blood donation: Rule change means more gay and bisexual men can give blood". BBC News. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Northern Ireland to lift gay blood donor ban from September". gaynewsnetwork.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016.
  3. ↑ Prendergast, Padraig (14 June 2016). "Government to review 12-month deferral period for gay men donating blood". Newsbeat . Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Donor selection criteria review". Department of Health . Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Gallagher, James (8 September 2011). "BBC News – Gay men blood donor ban to be lifted". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Lifetime ban on gay men donating blood is lifted – Health News, Health & Families" . The Independent. 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "EQUALITY FOR ALL: LGBTIQ GENERAL ELECTION MANIFESTO 2015" (PDF). Green Party of England and Wales. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "FOR THE COMMON GOOD: GENERAL ELECTION MANIFESTO 2015" (PDF). Green Party of England and Wales. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  9. ↑ "Welsh Poet RJ Arkhipov Works With His Own Blood to Protest Ban On Gay Donors". www.out.com. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  10. ↑ "Gay Welsh poet tackles the stigma of 'gay blood' on World Blood Donor Day". Attitude.co.uk. 16 June 2017. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "This man is writing poetry in his own blood to protest gay blood donations rules". PinkNews. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "Interview: Tim Farron addresses LGBT voting record and calls for Church of England to be disestablished". 20 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Greenfield, Patrick (23 July 2017). "Gay men to be allowed to give blood three months after sex". The Guardian– via www.theguardian.com.
  14. ↑ "Same-sex blood donation rules relaxed". BBC News. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
  15. ↑ "Blood donation: a step forward". Stonewall (in Welsh). 21 July 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  16. ↑ Arnull, Liam (1 June 2018). "Fighting for the Right to Donate Blood: Reviewing Changes to the UK's Separate, but Equal, Policy Towards LGBT+". Oxford Human Rights Hub. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  17. ↑ Suligoi, Barbara; Pupella, Simonetta; Regine, Vincenza; Raimondo, Mariangela; Velati, Claudio; Grazzini, Giuliano (July 2013). "Changing blood donor screening criteria from permanent deferral for men who have sex with men to individual sexual risk assessment: no evidence of a significant impact on the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic in Italy". Blood Transfusion. 11 (3): 441–448. doi:10.2450/2013.0162-12. ISSN   1723-2007. PMC   3729137 . PMID   23867178.
  18. ↑ "FAIR steering group". NHS Blood Donation. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Blood donation: Gay couple 'thrilled' after rules change". BBC News. 14 June 2021.
  20. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "UK drops abstinence period on gay men donating blood | DW | 14.12.2020". DW.COM. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.