2023-09-01 17:45:36
In the future, a person’s sexual orientation will no longer be an obstacle to donating blood in Germany. Homosexual men should be able to donate blood more easily in the future. This provides for a renewal of the blood donation guidelines of the German Medical Association.
What this means for donors and recipients.
What is changing with the new policy?
A high demand for blood products on the one hand, and a low willingness to donate on the other – this repeatedly poses challenges for the healthcare system in Germany.
In order to increase the number of potential donors and end discrimination against homosexual men when donating blood, the German Medical Association has introduced new regulations – these have been in effect since August 28th, 2023. From now on at potential donors are asked about their sexual practice and the number of sexual partners – whether male or female, whether homosexual or heterosexual.
This means that heterosexual people will also have to provide specific information about their sexual practice in the future. They also specifically ask about anal sex.
Exclusion criteria for men who have sex with men will therefore no longer apply in the future. The age limit for donating blood will also be abolished. In the future, people over the age of 60 will also be able to donate blood – if their state of health allows it.
Who is not allowed to donate blood in the future?
Sexual behavior that significantly increases the risk of contracting a serious infectious disease is considered risky. This includes sex with more than two people in total and sex with a new person if anal intercourse is involved.
What blood donation rules have been in effect so far?
Regardless of sex practice, it has been considered risky if a man has had sex with a new man within the past four months. In the case of sexual intercourse between women and men, on the other hand, only those who had “frequently changing partners” were deferred for four months.
What is the trigger for the changes?
In March, Parliament decided to eliminate “unacceptable, medically unnecessary discrimination” against homosexual men in blood donations, as Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) called it. Among other things, gay associations had rated the previous practice as discriminatory.
The German Medical Association had to adapt its blood donation guidelines within four months and allow homosexual men as blood donors.
The lesbian and gay association in Germany welcomed the change as “long overdue”. The federal government’s queer commissioner, Sven Lehmann, also told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “The abolition of discrimination is long overdue and I am pleased that Karl Lauterbach is tackling it now.”
guidelines long out of date
The blood donation restrictions for homosexuals date back to the time of the AIDS crisis. The reason for this was the concern that the risk of passing on the HI virus (HIV) through donating blood could be particularly high in gay men.
The measure has long been described as discriminatory. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told the editorial network Germany that there should be no hidden discrimination: “The German Medical Association must finally understand what has long been a consensus in social life.”
So far restrictions for homosexuals
According to the previous directive of the German Medical Association, men who have sex with men were only allowed to donate blood if they had not had sexual intercourse with “one new or more than one sexual partner” in the past four months.
For all other people, however, this block only existed with “frequently changing partners”. This regulation, which critics say is discriminatory, is now history.
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