Has indian government banned blood donations by LGBT+group

Indian government has not banned blood donations by the LGBTQ+ community. However, the rules surrounding blood donation in India do discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals. According to the current guidelines set by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender individuals are considered high-risk groups for HIV and are deferred from donating blood for life.

This policy has been criticized by many as discriminatory, as it assumes that all LGBTQ+ individuals are automatically at a higher risk for HIV, which is not necessarily true. Many LGBTQ+ activists and healthcare professionals in India have called for a revision of these guidelines to remove the discriminatory language and allow LGBTQ+ individuals to donate blood if they meet the same eligibility criteria as other donors.

According to the guidelines gay and bisexual men in monogamous relation are permitted to give blood.There have been changes in the guidelines related to blood donation in India in recent years. Previously, men who have sex with men (MSM), including gay and bisexual men, were indefinitely deferred from donating blood due to the perceived higher risk of transmitting HIV/AIDS. However, in 2018, the Indian government revised its blood donation policy and allowed MSM individuals who are in monogamous relationships to donate blood after a deferral period of 12 months.The change was based on a recommendation by thethe National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), which found that the risk of HIV transmission is higher in promiscuous sexual behavior, rather than in homosexual sex itself. The revised policy was seen as a positive step towards inclusion and non-discrimination, although some activists have argued that the 12-month deferral period is still discriminatory.nd

In the UK, men who have sex with men (MSM) are allowed to donate blood but with certain restrictions. As of 2021, men who have sex with men can donate blood if they have not had sex with another man in the past three months. Previously, the deferral period was 12 months, but it was reduced to three months after the National Blood Service reviewed the scientific evidence related to the risk of HIV transmission. The restrictions are not specific to LGBT individuals but are based on high-risk behaviors that could lead to the transmission of HIV or other blood-borne infections.

Canada has officially ended the ban on blood donations by gay menrevised guidelines now allow gay men to donate blood, provided they have abstained from sexual activity for three months. During screening, all donors are asked if they’ve had new and/or multiple sexual partners in the last three months. If they have, they are then asked a follow-up question about whether they’ve had anal sex with any partner in the last three months. If the answer is yes, they will be asked to wait three months to donate. If they have not and meet all other eligibility criteria, they will be able to donate.  There has been a focus on anal sex as it has a significantly higher chance of HIV transmission. In 2021, Israel declared the lifting of all restrictions on blood donations from homosexuals. The then health minister, Nitzan Horowitz, said, “The discrimination against gay men donating blood is over. There is no difference between blood and blood. This is a historical step forward for equal rights for the LGBT community in Israel." France, too, has ended the ban

Finally, the Centre contended that such issues fall within the ambit of the executive and need to be seen from a public health perspective as opposed to an individual rights perspective. “The right of the recipient to receive a safe blood transfusion far outweighs the right of an individual to donate blood,” the affidavit said.

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