What does the change in blood donation rules for gay men mean in Northern Ireland?
The government this week announced plans to relax of the rules regarding the donation of blood by men who have sex with men – but only in England and Scotland.
Currently, the rules ban men who have sex with men from donating blood if they have had sex in the last 12 months.
A total lifetime ban for men who have sex with men had been in place from 1981 across the UK, but this was replaced in 2011 in England and Scotland with a ban on those who have had sex in the last 12 months.
Related: This gay poet is writing in his own blood to protest gay blood donations rules
In Northern Ireland, the lifetime ban was retained under DUP health ministers Edwin Poots and Jim Wells, before being relaxed by then heath minister Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Féin in June 2016.
The relaxing of the rules, banning only those who have had sex in the last 3 months rather than 12 months, should take place in early 2018, but only in England and Scotland.
The rules are being changed following recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO).
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