The blood-donation deferral period for gay and bisexual male donors is dropping from one year to three months in Canada. "Today, we're taking a major step towards a fair, evidence-based blood-donation system by reducing the deferral period to three months and moving towards behavioural-based screening." The new guideline means that a gay or bisexual man has to abstain from sex with other men for three months before he can donate blood. In 2016, the deferral period was reduced to one year. Independent watchdog group BloodWatch.org said although it supports Wednesday's announcement, it's also asking Health Canada and CBS to change the donor-screening process.

Source: CBC News May 08, 2019 15:33 UTC