by Kathy Masterson
THE manager of a Limerick-based sexual health charity has described the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood as “ridiculous”.
Following last week’s European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling that Ireland’s lifetime ban on giving blood “may be justified” in certain cases, Ann Mason, who is manager of GOSHH (Gender Orientation Sexual Health HIV) said: “I think the current situation is quite ridiculous to be honest. This ban was put in place in 1985 which is 30 years ago. It was really a knee-jerk reaction to the panic that was the AIDS at that time.
“However it didn’t work, people got infected in the 1990s”, she explained.
“HIV is passed on through sexual intercourse, and it happens to all genders, not just men who have sex with men. Half of those infected with HIV in Ireland are men who have sex with men, so logically that suggests that the other half are men and women having sexual intercourse together.”
Ms Mason pointed out that all donated blood in Ireland is already thoroughly screened “for a variety of viruses, not just HIV”.
“So why do we need to restrict anybody from giving blood? People who know they are living with HIV wouldn’t go to donate blood, it’s only people who don’t know that they have it, and the screening would pick that up anyway. I don’t understand how the ECJ can say that this ban is justified,” she continued.
Ms Mason told the Limerick Post that she believes the ban “stigmatises men who have sex with men” and that she would like to see it removed.
“It just doesn’t compute with me. On the one hand they’re screaming out for people to donate blood, and then they’re saying ‘no you can’t donate because you have sex with men’. The key thing is that people get tested so then they know their status”, she said.
The Department of Health is awaiting a report on the ban by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, which is expected to be completed later this year.
Health Minister Leo Varadkar previously stated that he would consider loosening the restrictions pending the results of the review.
The Government is considering replacing the lifetime ban with a one-year ban.
GOSHH, which is located on Davis Street in the city centre, provides Rapid HIV testing with test results available within 30 minutes. The organisation will also provide free HIV testing on Irish AIDS Day, June 15. For more information, go to www.goshh.ie.
