The APPG welcomes the Government’s announcement today that the rules on gay men* donating blood will change from a lifetime ban to a 12 month deferral period. This decision follows a review of the current policies around exclusion and deferral from blood donation by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO).

Currently, men who have ever had oral or anal sex with another man (with or without a condom) are permanently excluded from blood donation in the UK. The change means that from November 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).

Pamela Nash, Chair of the APPG said:

“I was pleased to hear today’s announcement to allow gay men to donate blood. The removal of the lifetime ban in England, Scotland and Wales is a step in the right direction in removing discrimination from this legislation. However, I predict that many gay men will be saddened that they still will not be able to donate blood under the new rules. These regulations have been put in place with current scientific evidence and the safety of the blood supply having been taken into account. I urge the Government to ensure that this is not a one-off change, but that SaBTO is continually assessing the rules to ensure they are compatible with the most up-to-date information and technology available.”

The safety of the blood supply has been at the heart of SaBTO’s review, and the conclusion that safety levels will be maintained following the rule change is supported by the most up-to-date scientific evidence. Blood donor selection criteria and other safety measures such as stringent testing mean the UK blood supply is among the safest in the world. There has been no documented transmission of a blood-borne virus through blood transfusions in the UK since 2005, with no HIV transmission since 2002.

Sir Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), comments:

‘We welcome this decision, which is based on strong new evidence that all the experts are agreed on. These regulations will ensure the safety of the blood supply for all of us while also being fair and equal in their application. We can now detect blood-borne viruses earlier and have more understanding of them, and the change reflects that.
‘The remaining deferral regulation for sexually active gay men is based on their heightened risk, as a group, of sexually acquired blood-borne viruses. Changing that depends on reducing gay men's risk of HIV and other STIs to the same level as the rest of the population, and re-emphasising the vital importance of safer sex as far too many gay men still become infected with HIV each year. We will continue to campaign to improve gay men's sexual health to a level where the regulations can be the same for all, regardless of sexuality.’