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Call for end to "discriminatory" ban on gay blood donors
National Blood Service
Millions of people prevented from saving lives say campaigners
"The National Blood Service has defended the ban claiming it has been extremely successful in limiting infection"
Campaigners have called for an end to the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. BloodBan.co.uk is running a petition which it will present to the NHS Blood Donor Committee and Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling for an end to a policy they describe as "outdated, hypocritical and not based on recent scientific fact".
The ban, based on the assumption that men who have had sex with other men are more at risk from HIV than the general population, was implemented at a time when incidences of HIV were proportionally much higher in the gay community. Campaign founder Russell Hirst has suggested that gay and bisexual men wanted to give blood should be tested for sexually transmitted diseases before donating and given a "clean bill of health".
The National Blood Service has, however, defended the ban claiming it has been "extremely successful" in limiting infection. Peter Tatchell has responded saying that the ban was driven by "stereotypes about gay male behaviour".
