New Zealanders are excluded from donating blood for many reasons, including sickness, a recent tattoo or not weighing enough. But the most controversial exclusion, which affects gay and bisexual men, is about to be scrapped.
Video / Alyse Wright / Jason Dorday
Medsafe has approved a change to blood donation rules which would allow more gay and bisexual men to donate
All donors will have an individualised risk assessment, regardless of gender, sex or sexual orientation
The change is expected to occur next year and could boost the number of blood donations
Chief medical officer Dr Sarah Morley said Medsafe had approved an application to change the way it assessed potential blood and plasma donors.
That meant the organisation was a step closer to scrapping a ban on donations for some gay men. Under the new system, all donors would have individualised risk assessments, regardless of gender, sex or sexual orientation.
Morley said the final step in the process was to update the New Zealand Blood Service’s testing regime, which was expected to be completed by next year.
“At this stage, we anticipate that individualised donor assessments will be introduced in early 2026. We are committed to change, and we look forward to soon welcoming more gay, bisexual, takatāpui and other men who have sex with men into our whānau of lifesavers.”
A Sex and Prevention of Transmission Study (Spots) study last year found that three times as many gay and bixexual men would donate if the rules were changed to a more individualised assessment.
At the moment, men cannot donate blood if they have had oral or anal sex with another man in the last three months.
The “window period” is designed to reduce the risk of passing undetected HIV on to a blood recipient.
HIV rates are higher among gay men compared to the general population and blood screening processes may not pick up an infection which occurred within the previous eight days.
This broad brush approach excluded people who posed no risk of HIV transmission, such as people in a monogamous relationship or who had not had sex with new or multiple partners.
Associate Professor Peter Saxton said most gay and bisexual men wanted to donate blood if they were allowed to, and research had shown this would be safe for blood recipients. Photo / RNZ
Associate Professor Peter Saxton, from the University of Auckland’s School of Population Health, said he was “extremely pleased” with the Medsafe approval.
“This takes Aotearoa, New Zealand one step closer to a more inclusive blood donor policy and more blood for those who need it.”
He added: “SPOTS data show that four out of five gay and bisexual men in New Zealand wanted to donate blood if the rules were changed and they were allowed to donate. Importantly, our data suggest this would be safe for blood recipients. We found no participants with confirmed undiagnosed HIV.”
New Zealand’s change of direction follows similar moves in the United Kingdom and Canada. Those countries have moved to a more individualised, gender-neutral screening process which allowed gay men to donate if they only had sex with a long-term partner in the last three months. The UK has also removed an exclusion for oral sex.
A HISTORY OF ‘UNJUSTIFIED EXCLUSION’
1980s: Gay men banned from blood donation in NZ during HIV epidemic
2008: Rules changed to allow men who had not had sex with another man for five years to donate blood
