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Most Canadians Support Lifting LGBTQ Blood Ban: Poll

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A new poll by Narrative Research shows the majority of Canadians support lifting the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.

Health Canada approved Canadian Blood Services’ request to eliminate the three-month wait period for gay and bisexual men to donate blood and plasma.

The organization will screen all donors based on higher-risk sexual behaviours, regardless of gender or sexuality by Sept. 30.

Of those surveyed, 59 per cent support the policy change, while fewer than two in 10 — 17 per cent — oppose the decision. One-quarter of respondents — 14 per cent — neither supported nor opposed the change and 10 per cent offered no opinion.

While support for the policy change increases with household income and education, the trend seems to be the reverse for age groups, with 23 per cent of baby boomers more likely to oppose lifting the ban.

Narrative Research found overall support for the policy is consistent across the provinces and genders, but women were more likely to feel more strongly about their support than men.

A total of 1,230 Canadians aged 18 and older participated in an online survey between June 27 to 29.

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Health Canada approves lifting of blood donation ban for gay men

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Health Canada has approved the lifting of the blood donation ban for gay and bisexual men as well as others in the LGBTQ2S+ community.

The federal regulator announced the move in a statement on Thursday.

Health Canada says it’s greenlighting a submission from the Canadian Blood Services to remove the current ban on donations from men who have had sex with men in the last three months.

The practice has been long criticized as discriminatory.

“Today’s authorization is a significant milestone toward a more inclusive blood donation system nationwide, and builds on progress in scientific evidence made in recent years,” the news release says. “Over the past decade, Health Canada has authorized several changes to the donor deferral period for men who have sex with men, from a lifetime restriction to five years in 2013, to one year in 2016 and to three months in 2019.”

The new policy will see all donors screened, regardless of gender or sexuality, for “high-risk sexual behaviours.”

“Today’s approval from Health Canada is the result of over a decade of work to make participation in Canada’s Lifeline as inclusive as possible, without compromising the safety of biological products or the security of supply,” says Dr. Graham Sher, CEO of Canadian Blood Services, in a news release.

The Canadian Blood Services expects the new policy will be in place by September 30th.