With the new plasma donation rules, Australia’s blood donation landscape will be changed dramatically. Beginning July 14, men and transgender women will no longer be required to respond to questions about their recent sexual encounters with other men. This fantastic move will make it much easier for around 625,000 Australians to donate plasma. This announcement marks a major and welcome departure from decades of rules and regulations that sought to lower the risk of HIV transmission.
Historically, the indefinite deferral for men who have sex with men was implemented in response to a public health crisis surrounding HIV. This policy was an unfortunate expression of the fear and stigma that existed during a period when no diagnostic test for HIV existed. Over time, authorities quietly rolled back the very rules that tightened their noose. They moved from an unlimited ban to a 12-month deferral in 2000, and then to only three months in 2021. Even in making these changes, they fell short of grappling with the complications of risk assessment across donor populations.
Dr. Skye McGregor from the Kirby Institute explains, “HIV transmission through blood transfusions prompted an urgent public health response. So, Australia, like many countries around the world, introduced an indefinite deferral for men who have sex with men because they’re the population who’ve historically been most impacted by HIV in Australia.”
The new guidelines will finally create a generic screening question to better assess risks for all plasma donors, instead of sex-specific policymaking. Potential donors will now only be questioned on their sexual history with people with HIV or other blood-borne viruses. While this may be controversial, this inquiry will limit its scope solely to the past three months.
Chris Steel, a former plasma donor who last donated Plasma Revolution decades ago, thanked his for making these changes. He shared the mental strain it took to come out when trying to donate in the past. “I had to say, look, I know I can’t donate. I’m gay. I’m sorry. And you know, it is one of those things that you don’t want to have to necessarily confront,” he said.
Steel’s experience is mirrored by countless others in the LGBTQ+ community who have been historically cut off from charitable donation avenues. He emphasized that plasma donations are absolutely essential. They provide a unique opportunity for young people to serve and make an impact in their communities.
The new rules are not just a win for potential donors like Steel—they’re a win for important recipients, like Hayley Teasdale. Teasdale’s only access to a medicine she needs to stay healthy for her rare immune deficiency comes from about 100 plasma donations per year. She shared her personal journey, stating, “It’s pretty hard to put into words just how important these donations are for my life… without this plasma, I would not be able to keep up.”
For Teasdale, these changes represent an exciting new chapter in her life. They affect the millions of patients like me who rely on plasma products to live. She added, “After the marriage equality non-binding plebiscite result and the changes to marriage equality laws, people were looking at other forms of discrimination that existed in society… it wasn’t one that could be changed overnight.”
The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood projected that under these new guidelines there would be 95,000 more plasma donations each year. This incredible increase in donations will make a tremendous difference in getting life-saving treatments to the people who need them most.
Dr. McGregor highlighted how important these changes are. He acknowledged that receptive anal intercourse is riskier for HIV transmission than other sexual practices, the increased screening will result in a more equitable donation process. “Unprotected anal sex carries a higher risk of HIV transmission compared to other sexual activities… and this is particularly if it’s a receptive anal intercourse,” she explained.
