In a landmark policy breakthrough, the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has removed almost all waiting period bans for priority populations. This is particularly true for gay and bisexual men, transgender people, sex workers and people taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV. Specifically, these eligibility provisions were announced on Monday and will go into effect next year. It’s projected to more than double the number of eligible plasma donors by an additional 625,000 Australians.
Lifeblood’s Chief Executive Officer Stephen Cornelissen said this development was a major step forward and that the change in approach had been expected. He understood that these bans were necessary at one time to protect the blood supply. In doing so, they have contributed to stigma within the gay and bi community.
Dr. Skye McGregor said this removal of the deferral period was “significant.” Now, people can donate plasma right away, regardless of their sexual orientation or behavior. She said that this shift is indicative of a larger growth in the understanding of public health and the importance of inclusivity.
Implications of the Change
Get ready, because these restrictions are about to be lifted! Now, thousands of additional members from the LGBTQI+ and sex worker communities are able to donate plasma without the three-month wait period after their last sexual encounter. This historical context is especially remarkable. Under the HIV crisis in the 1980s, Australia placed a lifelong ban on men who have sex with men donating blood and plasma.
As Lifeblood supports, plasma is described as liquid gold due to its essential role in treating over 50 different medical conditions. Its significance in healthcare today can’t be exaggerated! The local chapter’s goal is to bring in 24,000 first-time donors. On top of that, they aim to streamline 95,000 new in-kind donations per year resulting from this policy change.
Dr. McGregor highlighted the importance of this initiative by stating, “To have no deferral now around sexual activity through the plasma pathway is really significant.” She continued, “It expands it to so many more folks.” Her words emphasize the opportunity to engage more communities in blood donation.
A Step Towards Equality
Advocacy groups such as Let Us Give have welcomed this change as a step towards equality in blood donation practices. To their dismay, they noted that despite all this progress, rules prohibiting whole blood donations continue to be discriminatory.
There’s no denying the campaign gets some very important messages across. Removing barriers for plasma donation was a step in the right direction. It’s important for gay, bisexual, and other queer people to be made eligible to give whole blood.
Joshua Smith, a representative from Let Us Give, expressed his optimism regarding this shift: “So this is a really beautiful moment moving forward from what was obviously a really dark moment in our history that these restrictions came from.”
Looking Ahead
Cornelissen said the new policy would go into effect early next year. This decision is especially noteworthy as it reverses the unshackled religious circumcision restrictions in July 2022. That amendment meant people who lived in the UK between 1980 and 1996 could give blood in Australia.
Kane Wheatley, an advocate for LGBTQI+ rights, expressed his relief at the change: “It’s one of those things that you spend your whole life thinking this is just not going to get across the line, and when it does it feels really nice to be able to be here to support it, normalise it for people as well.”
