Reilly urges removal of ban on gays giving blood

In one of his last proposals in office, outgoing health minister James Reilly has called for the removal of a controversial lifetime ban on gay men giving blood.

The deputy leader of Fine Gael, replaced as health minister by Leo Varadkar in yesterday’s Cabinet reshuffle, made the request on Monday to the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.

In correspondence sent to IBTS chair Prof Anthony Staines, the former minister said the lifetime ban (in place for decades due to fears donated blood could cause HIV infections) must be “reviewed”.

“Gay men in the UK and Spain account for a higher proportion of new HIV cases than gay men in Ireland,” he said. “I am concerned the ban on donation of blood by gay men may no longer be justified on scientific grounds, and thus may be impacting on the supply of blood and blood products to the detriment of our citizens.

“I would appreciate if you could review the situation and also examine the implications of introducing the UK, Spanish and Italian policies in Ireland, and report back with recommendations,” the letter read.

The ban had been introduced after fears from the IBTS and previous governments that not imposing a block caused HIV risks.

Similar rules were in place in other countries for the same reasons. However, the bans have either been relaxed or removed entirely in a number of jurisdictions in recent years.

In a statement last year after previous calls for a review, the IBTS said the lifetime ban is a necessary safety measure for people receiving blood. However, responding to the latest call last night, it said “in light of international exclusions” it will “welcome a review”.