Australian Gay Blood Ban Could Be Lifted For Plasma Donations
Image: Unsplash
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has received a submission from Australian Red Cross Lifeblood calling for the removal of questions regarding sexual activity when screening potential plasma donors.聽
Three Months Of Celibacy聽
Currently, those 鈥渨hose sexual practices put them at increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases that can be transmitted by blood, cells or tissues,鈥� must be celibate for three months in order to donate blood.聽
According to the TGA website, this includes sex workers, men who have sex with men, and the sexual partners of these groups.聽
Australian Red Cross Lifeblood submission would allow these groups to donate blood plasma without the need for celibacy as long as the potential donor meets the other requirements.聽
Blood plasma is used to treat acute and chronic medical conditions. It is donated using a special machine that separates the red blood cells from your blood and returns it to your body. The rest, called plasma, is collected.
Because your red blood cells are returned to you, you are able to donate a larger volume and more frequently. Each donation takes approximately 45 minutes.聽
‘Safe For Patients’
In a Sydney Morning Herald article, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood chief medical officer Dr Joanne Pink explained why this change could be made.聽
鈥淲e would not make this change if we did not think it was safe for patients,鈥� Pink said.
鈥淧athogen deactivation methods either filter out or kills off viruses and bacteria. This type of technology is only available for blood plasma, not whole blood donations.鈥�
Pink continued, 鈥淲e want to ensure that as many people as possible can safely donate. I think it鈥檚 fantastic because it鈥檚 the most inclusive option and great for donor experience because we won鈥檛 need to ask questions about sexual activity.鈥�
According to Australian Red Cross Lifeblood, “Australia has one of the safest blood systems in the world 鈥� and the safety of our blood and plasma products for patients will always be our top priority.”
Lifting Just Plasma Restrictions Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Let Us Give, an Australian organisation that campaigns to lift the current gay blood ban, does not believe this lifting of restrictions goes far enough.
Let Us Give spokesperson Rodney Croome, said, “Allowing gay men to give plasma is welcome, but it is not the solution to either the need for more whole blood, or the unnecessary discrimination inherent in the ban on gay blood donation.”
Croome continued, “Countries that have dropped their gay blood bans and adopted individual risk assessment, like the UK, France, Canada, Germany and Israel, have benefitted from having a new source of safe blood, and Australia will too.
“Allowing us聽to only give plasma but not whole blood is like offering us civil unions instead聽of marriage equality.”
According to an Australian Red Cross Lifeblood spokesperson, Lifeblood has “committed to a research program looking at options for whole blood donations, and will make a recommendation” which includes donor modelling and community consultation.
After approval by the TGA, federal and state governments would also need to approve. There is no official timetable for approval.聽
If approved, Australia would be the first country to make such a change. It would also add between 3,000 and 14,000 donations per year to Australia鈥檚 blood donor pool.聽
In recent years, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, Greece, Brazil, Hungary, Argentina, Denmark, and Canada have withdrawn their blanket ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. Most of the countries adopted discriminatory rules in the 1980s, in the initial years of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
I’m looking forward to the change and hopeful full blood will be allowed soon. Also the ban on donations by people taking PrEP needs to be removed.