Argentina lifts ban on gay and bi men donating blood
Argentina has changed its rules to allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood immediately.
The country’s health ministry announced a resolution which allows men who have had sex with men to donate blood.
It does away with previous rules which blocked gay and bisexual men from donating blood.
The previous rules had been condemned by LGBT rights campaigners who said it was discriminatory.
The official statement from the ministry said the plan was to “advance towards a national blood system that is safe, caring and inclusive”, as well as to “end a long history of institutional discrimination against the LGBT community.”
Campaigners have pushed the ministry to address the issue of the blood ban for over fifteen years.
The new measure also hops to educate people about risky behaviours, and to move away from blanket bans on specific groups.
Blood donation rules around the world are a controversial issue. Many countries continue to ban gay and bisexual men from donating.
The UK changed its rules to allow men who have sex with men to donate blood, but only if they abstain from having sex with men for twelve months.
In the US, the FDA last December said it planned to implement the 12-month deferral period.
