Chile Lifts Ban on Gay Blood } American and Canada Actin g Like Third World Countries

  

 After a year of lobbying by Movilh, an LGBT group, Chile’s health ministry has lifted its ban on gay and lesbian blood donations.

Before last week, potential donors were asked their sexual orientation in a questionnaire and anyone identifying as gay or lesbian was prohibited from donating blood.

US and Canadian lobbying groups have also been calling for an end to the ban but have, so far, been unsuccessful.

[Santiago Times]           

An end to the ban from healthy gay men to donate blood may be in sight in the US and Canada.

In New York, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis is involvedin an online petition demanding President Barack Obama urge the Food and Drug Administration to reform its policy preventing blood donations from men who engage in gay sex.

And last week, the Canadian Federation of Students said Canada’s and Quebec’s blood donating policies need to be updated too. Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec have proposed reducing the lifetime ban to five years but the student federation says that’s still unacceptable. Health Canada will respond to  proposed blood donation policy changes in the next few months.