Ban on gay blood donors examined by medics

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service’s deferral policy, which imposes a lifelong ban on blood donations from any man who has ever had sex with another man, is being examined at a Royal College of Physicians conference.

The conference is hearing submissions from representatives of countries including Spain, France, and Australia, which reviewed their deferral policy and lifted the ban; and Germany, which kept a lifelong ban in place following a review.

German speaker Margerethe Heiden co-authored a report advising “the safety of transfusion recipients should be the first priority”, outweighing societal concerns about discrimination.