That was when thousands of Canadians were exposed to HIV and hepatitis after receiving contaminated blood products. Long overdue!”Ī lifetime ban had been put into place in 1992 as part of the fallout from the tainted blood scandal in the 1980s.
“We definitely welcome today’s decision by Health Canada to authorize Canadian Blood Services to end their discriminatory blood and plasma donation ban targeting Two-Spirit, gay, bisexual, and queer men, trans women, and other men who have sex with men. “Finally!” Egale Canada wrote on Twitter. It also asks potential donors if they have been tattooed or engaged in intravenous drug use, as a way to help prevent diseases, including HIV, being transmitted through a transfusion. The federal blood agency said focusing on sexual behaviour, not orientation, will allow it to more reliably assess the risk of infections, such as HIV, that can be transmitted through transfusions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
