Northern Ireland lifts permanent ban on gay men donating blood

Up until now, gay men in Northern Ireland were denied the opportunity to ever be able to donate blood. Today the lifetime ban has been lifted.

Health Minister Michelle O’Neill has announced that it is now possible for a man who has had sexual contact with another man at least 12 months ago to donate blood. The first mention of the ending of the ban was in June, but today is the first day that the new rule has been taken into practice.

O’Neill said: “Every blood donation is tested for HIV and a number of other organisms. Not even the most advanced tests are 100 per cent reliable, so it is vitally important for every donor to comply with any deferral rules that apply to them.”

She stressed that her main responsibility was patient safety, adding that “evidence from across the UK has provided assurance that the risk is lower with a one-year deferral.”

Belfast City Hall following the Orlando shootings earlier this year

HIV support group Positive Life have backed Michelle O’Neill’s decision on the lifting of the ban. CEO Jacquie Richardson said: “This ban has only perpetuated inequality, which in turn, has done nothing to reduce the stigma that is attached to men who have sex with men and who want to donate blood for the good of others.”

She also said that removing the ban makes Northern Ireland more in line with the rest of the UK, since England, Scotland and Wales also lifted similar bans in 2011.

More information on HIV and blood donation can be found at www.positivelifeni.com.