The Senedd’s Petitions Committee has considered a public petition, calling on the Welsh Government to scrap the ‘gay blood ban’. Currently in Wales gay and bisexual men are not allowed to give blood – unless they abstain from sex for three months.
The Welsh Government has now announced that Health ministers across all four UK nations have agreed to lift the gay blood ban that has prevented men who have had sex with men (MSM) donating blood.
Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Chair of the Petitions Committee said:
“I’m delighted for those who set up and signed the petition to scrap the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood - their wishes have come true. I’m pleased that Ministers have listened to those who’ve been campaigning for this for many years and next year a more individualised approach to blood donation will begin.”
The petition submitted to the Senedd gathered 2,726 signatures and called for introduction of an “individualised, risk-based approach to assess sexual behaviour, rather than a simplistic process where people are grouped together based on their sexual orientation and are banned from donating blood.” The Petitions Committee had expressed its support for this petition to the Welsh Government.
