Blood donor ban: Ban requires lack of other protections

LIKE the curate’s egg, the ruling of the European Court of Justice on the contentious question of the lifetime ban on gay men giving blood donations is likely to be seen by Health Minister Leo Varadkar as ‘good and bad’ in parts. 

At first glance, yesterday’s finding that a blanket ban “may be justified” in limited circumstances could be seen as a setback for the minister whose perceived aim is to lift the outright prohibition on gay men making blood donations in Ireland.

On closer analysis, however, the finding may indeed strengthen the resolve of the minister, who recently came out as a gay himself, to remove the bar on gay men donating blood because of the court’s ruling that an outright ban is not a proportionate response if other methods exist to ensure a high level of health protection for the recipients of blood products.