Ross-shire MP calls out 'homophobic' blood donor policy in appeal for government review
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A ROSS-SHIRE MP is challenging a "discriminatory" blood donation policy which prevents gay and bisexual men from donating their plasma to a trial to provide treatment for Covid-19.
The appeal on World Blood Day centres on a ruling that all men must wait three months after having sexual contact with another man before donating.
Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone, whose Far North constituency takes in Easter Ross, has joined a cross-party group appealing for the restrictions on blood donor eligibility to be reviewed and updated.
He said that when he asked the Government about the policy last month, it said "all men must wait three months after having sexual contact with another man before donating". This includes men in a monogamous relationship.
"This discriminatory policy belongs in the past. It reeks of the homophobia that came about during the peak of the AIDS/HIV epidemic, where 'gay blood' was 'contaminated blood'. It's was so wrong then, and it is so wrong now."
Jamie Stone MP
Ethan Spibey, Founder of FreedomToDonate - the group coordinating the campaign - said: "World Blood Donor Day is different this year. Due to the lockdown tackling Covid-19 many gay/bi men have found they’ve become eligible to donate blood for the first time in their lives as they are in the three-month deferral period.
"The fact that it’s taken a pandemic for gay/bi men to be able to donate blood is patently absurd and we’re pleased that so many politicians from all parties have acknowledged this and joined us in our call for an individualised risk-based assessment for blood donation.
"Such assessments would not only be fairer, unlocking the potential of thousands of new willing donors, but provide the blood service with the male donors they so desperately need, following their call earlier this year for 68,000 new male donors to maintain the blood supply.”
Mr Stone said:"The Government's current policy assumes that if you're a straight man that sleeps with a different person every night, that's safer than being a gay man who has been in a monogamous relationship for decades.
"This discriminatory policy belongs in the past. It reeks of the homophobia that came about during the peak of the AIDS/HIV epidemic, where 'gay blood' was 'contaminated blood'. It's was so wrong then, and it is so wrong now. I am ashamed that in 2020 we are still having to fight against archaic, homophobic policies like this one. People who want to help their fellow man in donating their blood, and can do so safely, should absolutely be able to do so."
"It's Pride 2020 - so much progress has been made but obstacles remain. It is time for the Government to properly review this discriminatory blood donation policy. I intend to keep on at them until they do so."
World Blood Donor Day and FAIR
Every year, on June 14, countries around the world celebrate World Blood Donor Day which serves to raise awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products and to thank donors for their life-saving gifts.
Blood is an important resource, both for planned treatments and urgent interventions. It can help patients suffering from life-threatening conditions live longer and with a higher quality of life, and supports complex medical and surgical procedures. Blood is also vital for treating the wounded during emergencies of all kinds (natural disasters, accidents and armed conflicts.) and has an essential, life-saving role in maternal and perinatal care.
The For the Assessment of Individualised Risk (FAIR) steering group, whose stakeholders include NHS Blood and Transplant, university input and LGBT+ groups is working to explore if a more individualised risk assessment approach to blood donor selection policy is possible whilst ensuring the safe supply of blood to patients.
If the evidence shows that a more individualised blood donation risk assessment can be safely and practically introduced, it could mean that some people who are currently deferred for three months due to sexual-related risk, such as some men who have sex with men, could donate.
The group states: "We appreciate that any deferral is disappointing if you want to save lives by giving blood. We want to give as many people as possible the opportunity to donate whilst continuing to ensure the safety of patients. We are taking a collaborative and evidence-based approach to assess a more individualised risk assessment and we hope to report our research findings towards the end of 2020."
Doctors are aiming to use the plasma from recovered coronavirus patients to treat others with the disease.
It is hoped that the possible treatment, known as convalescent plasma, will help Covid-19 patients whose bodies are not producing enough antibodies to fight the disease.
But any man who has had sex with another man within the past three months is excluded from donating their plasma, in line with the current rules for donating blood.
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