Men who have had sex with another man will be subject to the same blood donation selection criteria as any person, starting Sunday.
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Beginning Sunday, December 4, eligibility to donate blood will be based on an individual’s assessment of risky behaviors and not on the person’s membership of a group considered to be at risk, Héma Québec said.
“The new approach will ensure that anyone who comes forward to donate blood – regardless of sex, gender or sexual orientation – is asked if they have had sex and, if so, what recent sexual behavior they have been engaging in,” he said the organization.
Quebec is the latest province to withdraw this regulation, which is considered discriminatory. In late April, Canadian Blood Services announced it would lift the restriction preventing men who had sex with other men within a three-month period from donating blood to the rest of the country.
“We are lifting a discriminatory blanket ban,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
In 2013, the “cut-off period” was introduced for the first time, which was supposed to follow the last sexual encounter. At that time, potential donors had to abstain for a period of five years. This cut-off period was extended to one year in 2016 and three months in 2019.