Homosexual men encouraged to donate blood in Canada

Changes may be seen in Canadian Blood Services restrictions for homosexual men.

According to CBC News, Canadian Blood Services wants to change one of their oldest policies that would allow homosexual men to donate their own blood.

The new proposal would allow homosexual men who haven’t had sexual relations with another man in the last five years to donate. That is a change over the ban of donations from men who’ve been with other men. Canadian Blood Services have received a lot of criticism for their restrictions.

The executive director of AIDS Calgary Awareness Association, Susan Cress, says the ban should be dropped completely. The ban was first introduced in the 1980s as an emergency measure.

While Canadian Blood Services is pushing for the change, Health Canada still has to okay the proposal.

It is expected to pass over the next months.