Australia lifts plasma donation ban for gay, bisexual men in world first

Rules that have effectively banned all sexually active gay and bisexual men from giving blood and plasma are lifted in Australia.

The rules, initially introduced to reduce the risk of blood donations from groups with a greater chance of HIV exposure, will begin to be revoked from next month, after similar movements in the United Kingdom and the United States.

However, under changes, Australia will become the first country in the world to eliminate all restrictions based on sexual activity on plasma donation, the national Life Sublood blood donation said.

The new rules have been approved by the country’s health products regulator and are estimated to expand the donation pool of 625,000 people.

“The Australian lives will be saved by this late decision and this important decision,” said Rodney Croome – from the Let We Giving campaign, who pressure for change.

Lifeblood’s head doctor, Jo Pink, described the significant milestone changes.

“Blood safety is and will always be our absolute priority, but we know that current donation rules have been very difficult for many people in the LGBTQIA + community … We know that they have contributed to stigma facing by [them]”She said in a press release.

Previously, all transgender men or women who have had sex with men in the previous three months have been prohibited from giving blood or plasma, just like sex workers and women who have sex with bisexual men.

Now, most people in a sexual intercourse of 6 months or more with a single partner will be eligible to give blood, regardless of their gender or sexuality.

Under the new rules, Lifeblood will no longer ask men if they have had sex with men in the previous three months.

Instead, all donors will be invited to have anal sex with new or multiple partners.

If the answer is yes, they will have to wait three months to give blood, but are still eligible to give plasma.

People taking the preparation of HIV prevention drugs will also be able to give plasma, although they are always prevented from giving blood.

The only group that is still unable to give plasma is those who live HIV and those who have a partner with HIV.

The rules of plasma donate come into force on July 14, with the updated approach of blood donations to be implemented in 2026.

Research carried out by Lifeblood, with the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales, has shown that rules of rules would have no impact on the security of the supply of blood and plasma.

Plasma in particular involves a process called pathogenic inactivation, which filters viruses and bacteria, considerably reduces the risk of transmission of a patient infection.

Global plasma demand is already on a record level and still increases, including in Australia, so Lifeblood hopes that changes will provide a good help to supplies.

However, let’s give the researcher, Sharon Dane, said that if the changes were welcome, it is not the world’s best practices and could be confusing.

“It seems that Bidulglow and the TGA adopt a more conservative approach to total blood donation, compared to other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.”

“These countries only require three months of a monogamous relationship in the event of anal sex, instead of the six months offered by the construction of life.”

Additional report by Lana Lam