Donations now being accepted at UBC clinic
After ages of being deferred from donating blood in Canada, gay men are now encouraged to give blood at the one day “Rainbow Donor Clinic” in Vancouver, BC. As of yet, the blood is only used for research purposes and cannot yet be accepted for transfusions, though with this milestone, researchers at the University of British Columbia hope to encourage further investigation into blood donation policies.
Before 2013, there had been a lifetime ban on the acceptance of blood from any man who has ever had sex with another man, a ban established in 1992 by Health Canada. Two years ago, the laws relaxed to five years of celibacy to be considered for blood donation, but still only for transfusion purposes.
The ban is not meant to be a discriminatory policy and is in effect as a preventative measure against the spreading of HIV. Before the ban was placed and blood was treated, there were widespread HIV cases due to blood transfusions.
Though, as many would agree, it does not always come across as non-discriminatory. Chad Walters, the initiator of the Rainbow Donor Clinic, experienced this after being rejected for blood donation years ago.
“I felt discriminated against because I didn’t understand anything. I view it differently today,” said Walters in an interview with Daily Xtra.
He now understands the importance of the ban in its effort to prevent the spread of HIV and in preventing the repeat of tainting the blood supply that was experienced before. He does however hope that, with research and good monitoring, there can safely be a reduction of the ban from five years to six months, which is the current deferral period for those with new tattoos and piercings.
The Rainbow Donor Clinic also accepts otherwise deferred donors, such as those with travel restrictions, recent tattoos or piercings, and those who have received false reactive test results. The collected blood cannot be used for transfusion purposes, but is available to any researcher who has approval from the ethics board. The blood can be used to solve many unanswered questions, including how to increase the shelf life of blood and how to induce the inactivation of viruses.
With the establishment of a place where gay men and other deferred donors can donate blood for a cause, Walters hopes to demonstrate to Health Canada that there are many people willing to donate blood if it could be accepted. He also aims to lift the discrimination that the men may experience in regards to blood donation restrictions by providing them with the opportunity to help further development in blood research on the quality and safety of blood donations.
Canadian Blood Services continues to encourage more research in the subject of blood donations from sexually active gay men and plans to reassess the ban within the next few years with new scientific backings.