Blood donor ban on gay men is flawed

THE criteria used to determine who may or may not give blood are flawed, as Dr William Murphy, national medical director of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, pointed out recently.

The absolute ban on gay men donating blood risks stigmatising individuals in a certain category and precludes the potential valuable addition of new, infection-free blood donors.

This is why students in colleges throughout the country are calling for a thorough re-evaluation of the criteria for donating blood.

The HIV risk level for all gay men is not uniformly high regardless of other considerations.

Dr Murphy makes two crucial points.

Firstly, gay sexual activity within a stable partnership is safer than promiscuous sex of any description.

Secondly, only a small minority of gay men are at risk of contracting, and hence transmitting, HIV.

These medical judgements powerfully support students’ contention that, as medical science continues to evolve, the current ban on gay male donors should be re-evaluated from time to time.

Steve Conlon

LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Rights Officer

Daniel Wood

Press & Research Executive

Union of Students in Ireland

Ceann Áras na Mac Léinn

Grattan Street

Dublin 2