There are rule changes coming for gay men who would like to donate blood.
Canadian Blood Services will amend its policies, and gay men who abstain from sex for at least one year, will be able to donate.
The changes will come into effect on August 15th.
Blood donation waiting period for men who have sex with men reduced to one year. New criteria take effect Aug 15: https://t.co/fNiDEIHDgh
— CdnBloodServices (@itsinyoutogive) June 20, 2016
Federal Minister of Health Jane Philpott says they welcome these changes, “Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec have done the work necessary to document and provide the appropriate scientific evidence to ensure us that it is appropriate to decrease the donor deferral period for men who have sex with men from 5 years down to one year.”
Statement from the Minister of Health on one year blood donor deferral period for MSM https://t.co/sjXeoSMmIQ
— GC Newsroom (@NewsroomGC) June 20, 2016
Philpott says the government will also be investing $3 million into more research, and will also be hosting an international seminar this fall to look into other donor policies.
These changes come after 49 people were killed and over 50 others injured in an Orlando nightclub earlier this month. Hundreds of donors, many of them gay men, lined up to give blood, but they had to be turned away.
