The Ban

Since its creation, the MSBDA has been advocating for the abolition of the discriminatory blood donation ban on men who have sex with men applied in Canada. We were supporters of the All Blood Is Equal campaign and endorsed the implementation of a behaviour-based approach to risk assessment rather than a ban that unjustifiably targets a certain community. 

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We are pleased to announce that Health Canada has now made a significant move toward a more inclusive blood donation system by lifting its outdated and prejudiced policy. As of Fall 2022, plasma donors will not be asked about the sex of their sexual partner(s) during the screening process. They will instead be asked for their sexual practices, such as the use of condoms and the number of sexual partner(s) they had. This is a more accurate and less biased method of evaluating risk. In Spring 2023, this new screening method will be extended to blood and platelet donors, which means that the blood donation ban will come to an end for all types of donation.