Today, men who have sex but men are only allowed to donate blood after completely abstaining from sex for six months, regardless of whether they are in a long-term monogamous relationship or not.
For women and men who have sex with women there is no such waiting period, but with a new sexual partner you must wait three months before you can give blood.
The government wants gay men to be allowed to give blood on the same terms: “Discrimination”
“It is not only a form of discrimination but also pure stupidity when there is war in our immediate area and we are equipping Sweden’s crisis preparedness,” write the party leaders Ulf Kristersson (M), Ebba Busch (KD) and Johan Pehrson (L) in a debate article i Swedish daily newspaper.
The National Board of Health and Welfare is therefore tasked with investigating the possibilities of introducing an individual-based risk assessment, so that each person who wishes to donate blood must be assessed individually, the government writes in a press release.
Today, two to three percent of the population are blood donors, and the hope is that the rule change will increase that number.
Exactly what the new assessment should look like is up to the National Board of Health and Welfare to propose together with other authorities. The assignment must be reported no later than September 29, 2024.