Gay men will be able to give blood as long as they haven't had sex for 12 months, the Government announced today.
A lifetime ban on gay men who had ever had sex was put in place in the UK in the 1980s as a response to the spread of Aids and HIV.
Most new HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infections in the UK result from men having sex with men.
But politicians have rethought the policy in light of a review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (Sabto).
The change means that in future only men who have had anal or oral sex with another man in the past 12 months (with or without a condom) will be asked not to donate blood.
Read the rest.
Note: In the U.S., gay men are banned from giving blood forever if they've had sex with another man since 1977. Efforts have long been underway to repeal this very problematic policy. Senator John Kerry and Representative Mike Quigley are currently leading the call for change.
Related: "Views and experiences of men who have sex with men on the ban on blood donation: a cross sectional survey with qualitative interviews" (LifeLube friend Will Nutland is one of the authors on this paper.)
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