eretz

New Screening System

Israeli gay, bisexual men cleared to
donate blood in pilot program.

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36

January 18 • 2018

jn

started changing their procedures
nstead of having to wait a year
toward gay blood donors.
after sexual relations, men will
In the United States, gay men were
give blood that will be double-
restricted from donating blood from
tested and frozen until used, Magen
1985 until 2015, when the Food and
David Adom (MDA) says.
Drug Administration agreed
Gay and bisexual men
ABOVE:
to let gay men who had been
in Israel will be allowed
A volunteer
to donate blood through
gives blood in celibate for 12 months donate.
MDA in the same way as
a Magen David The agency agreed to further
other blood donors, after
Adom mobile study the issue after the Pulse
the emergency service last
blood donation nightclub shooting in Orlando,
Fla., in June 2016, when many
week announced a “double
station.
gay men were turned away from
testing” system that screens
donating blood for friends injured in
blood twice.
the attack.
Last year, the Health Ministry
The United Kingdom had a similar
announced that gay men could
policy, though this summer it down-
donate blood, but only if 12 months
graded its requirements from a year
had passed since their last sexual
to three months of celibacy before
encounter.
donating.
But a coalition of gay rights
Ben-Ari (Kulanu), chairperson of
groups including the Israel AIDS
the Knesset’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Task Force and the Agudah LGBT
and Transgender Lobby, called the
Taskforce, as well as MDA and MK
decision “an important and historic
Merav Ben-Ari, challenged the pro-
step toward equality for the gay
cedure as “irrelevant and unrealis-
community.”
tic.”
“The constant refusal to receive
MDA’s director of blood services,
blood donations from male mem-
Dr. Eilat Shinar, developed a special
bers of the LGBT community,
procedure that will test the blood
and their requirement to lie, was
once at donation and a second time
before infusion, MDA said in a state- an insult, but it has come to an
end,” said Chen Ariely, chairperson
ment. In the interim, the blood will
of the Aguda-LGBTQ Taskforce.
be frozen for four months in a spe-
“Starting very soon, all members
cial freezer.
of the population will be able to
Last week, the Health Ministry
enlist to save lives regardless of their
accepted the double-test procedure
sexual orientation,” said MDA direc-
on a two-year trial basis, meaning
tor Eli Bin. “Donation of blood is a
gay and bisexual men will no longer
need to wait between having a sexu- right and duty common to all citi-
zens of Israel.”
al encounter and donating blood.
Approximately 300,000 people
Gay and bisexual men were origi-
nally forbidden to donate blood over donated blood through Magen
fears of AIDS, though in recent years David Adom in 2017. •
countries around the world have