Let Us Give spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said the group has been campaigning for a review of the current ban since it was formed earlier this year.
"In every country that has dropped the gay blood ban and adopted individual risk assessment instead, including the UK and Canada, a review was the first step."
"We will increase our campaigning to ensure Lifeblood has access to the latest medical evidence from countries that have reformed their policies and to ensure it hears the voices of those who are currently and wrongly excluded from blood donation."
"Our objective is a blood supply that is plentiful, safe and non-discriminatory."
Currently in Australia, gay men, and bisexual men, trans women and some nonbinary people who have sex with men, are excluded from donating blood unless they abstain from sex for three months.
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration announced it is considering individual risk assessment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/30/health/blood-donation-gay-bisexual-men.html
Tasmanian Federal Liberal Bridget Archer, raised the issue in Parliament on November 8th (see attachment).
Lifeblood has also said it will pursue a "plasma pathway" to allow donation by men who have sex with men before to it moves on to individual risk assessment.
But Mr Croome said this approach was adopted and then abandoned by countries like Canada that then moved on to individual risk assessment for whole blood.
"Our goal is individual risk assessment for whole blood, not half measures that fail to increase the supply of safe whole blood and that perpetuate discrimination."
Lifeblood's new direction can be found here:
https://www.lifeblood.com.au/blood/eligibility/sexual-activity
For a copy of this statement on the web, click
here
