Lib Dems say gay blood ban change is not enough

Lib Dems say gay blood ban change is not enough

Liberal Democrats have called for the government to go further in their repeal of the lifetime ban on gay men giving blood.
21 September 2011
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Bloodbags Liberal Democrats have called for the government to go further in their repeal of the lifetime ban on gay men giving blood.

Under proposed new plans, 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. Men whose last relevant sexual contact with another man was more than 12 months ago will be able to donate (subject to meeting the other donor selection criteria).

But at the Liberal Democrat party conference in Birmingham this week, a member of the party said that replacing the lifetime ban with 12 month deferral period is a “ban by any other name”.

Dij Davies told the conference there was no reason why men who practised safe sex, should be prevented from giving blood.

He said: “It stigmatises male same sex contact by perpetuating the myth they can't be trusted in matters of sexual health.”

Davies was prevented from donating blood to his mother when she needed a transfusion, because he was gay.

Ross Pepper, another party member, said the new rules were an example of "institutionalised homophobia", pointing out that thousands of people had contracted HIV through heterosexual sex.

Pepper said: "It's not just a gay disease,"

HIV can be detected four weeks after infection but hepatitis B takes significantly longer, and then has a second window period in the later stages of infection (up to 12 months) which is why there must be a deferral period of one year for those most at risk of transmitting the viruses.