The Queensland health minister has called on the federal government to consider scrapping restrictions that prevent most gay and bisexual men from donating blood.
In Australia sexually active gay men, bisexual men, transgender women and some non-binary people who have sex with men – including those in long-term relationships – are unable to donate blood unless they abstain from sex for three months.
The UK, Canada, the US and several other countries have relaxed longstanding rules blocking men who have sex with other men from donating blood. The “gay blood bans” were mostly adopted in the 1980s due to fears about HIV infection.
The Australian medical regulator approved a “plasma pathway” approach in May that would involve applying “individual risk assessments” to people donating plasma but continue the effective ban on most gay men donating whole blood.
The Let Us Give campaign argues the plasma-only approach would “entrench a second-class status for gay donors”.
“Plasma-only donation will be to blood donation what civil unions were to marriage equality – a poor substitute for equity and fairness,” said the campaign’s spokesperson, Dr Sharon Dane.
Queensland is the first state to come out in support of applying the individual risk assessment approach to whole blood donations as well as plasma donations.
Shannon Fentiman, the state’s health minister, said Queensland had written to the federal government and would lobby for “a more inclusive approach to blood donation in Australia”.
Her letter to the federal health minister, Mark Butler, urged the commonwealth to “expedite” the consideration of applying individual risk assessments to whole blood donations “should the research support making the change”.
“We know that many people who could safely donate blood, and who want to help others, are unable to do so under the current rules,” Fentiman said.
“I was pleased to see that [Red Cross] Lifeblood is removing donor deferrals for plasma donations, and removing barriers for whole blood donations would be a further step in the right direction.
“Obviously, it is critical that we ensure our blood supply is safe for all Australians requiring a transfusion. We have seen individual risk assessment models operate safely and successfully in other countries.”
Fentiman thanked Butler for considering the change and said: “I look forward to seeing a more inclusive approach to blood donation in the future.”
Individual risk assessments involve asking the same set of questions about sexual activity to anyone who wishes to give blood – regardless of their sexuality or their partner’s gender.
The Let Us Give campaign says research shows this approach would not compromise blood safety, would increase the blood supply, and would remove discrimination from blood donation.
Dane welcomed Fentiman’s statement “in support of a safe and more equitable blood donor system”.
“Assessing each donor for individual risk will maintain the safety of the blood supply while allowing much-needed donations from gay men, as well as bisexual men and trans women who have sex with men,” she said.
“This is why countries similar to Australia, like Canada, the UK and US have lifted their gay blood bans and adopted individual risk assessment.”
