Canadian Blood Services seek to scrap lifetime ban on sex workers donating blood
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OTTAWA — Canadian Blood Providers needs to scrap a lifetime ban on intercourse staff giving blood in an additional transfer to make blood donation extra equitable.
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The blood-donation service this month beneficial to Well being Canada that it abolish the lifetime ban on donation by individuals who have taken cash or medication in change for intercourse.
The ban, launched 45 years in the past, is ready to get replaced by a one-year “deferral” after paid intercourse work.
The transfer follows an finish final month to the ban on homosexual and bisexual males from donating blood, which was welcomed by MPs and LGBTQ advocates.
Canadian Blood Providers mentioned it will be ready to advocate that Well being Canada cut back the time intercourse staff have to attend earlier than donating blood to lower than a yr, however needed to make adjustments incrementally.
The size of time homosexual males had been banned from giving blood was steadily lowered earlier than being scrapped utterly final month.
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Catherine Lewis, a spokeswoman for Canadian Blood Providers, mentioned it had made the request to Well being Canada to finish the lifelong ban on intercourse staff donating blood up to now few weeks, having finished analysis to make sure the advice would hold the blood provide secure.
She mentioned the overview was a part of a drive to ensure blood donation insurance policies had been extra inclusive and equitable.
“Proper now we’re taking a look at a yr however we’ll proceed to have a look at it in future. It doesn’t finish if it will get lowered to at least one yr,” she added.
The present lifetime ban on intercourse staff giving blood additionally extends to individuals who have had intercourse with a intercourse employee or exchanged cash or medication for intercourse. This coverage can also be being reviewed.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promised to scrap the ban on homosexual males donating blood through the 2015 election marketing campaign. But it surely took years and $5 million value of analysis into security earlier than it was beneficial to Well being Canada.
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Canadian Blood Providers, which runs the blood donation program, indicated it was assured the ban on intercourse staff giving blood may occur by the autumn if authorised by Well being Canada.
The blood service is shifting towards basing screening on higher-risk sexual behaviour equivalent to anal intercourse.
By the tip of September, all potential donors can be requested if they’ve had new or a number of sexual companions within the final three months, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.
If any potential donor replies sure, they’d then be requested whether or not they have had anal intercourse with any of these companions. If they’ve, they would wish to attend three months since that exercise earlier than donating blood.
The blood company believes asking about sexual behaviour will enable it to extra reliably assess the chance of infections equivalent to HIV that may be transmitted by means of transfusions. All donated blood is examined and screened earlier than it’s given to sufferers.
