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Northern Ireland’s High Court is
considering whether to maintain Northern Ireland’s current policy stipulating a
lifetime ban on blood donation for gay men or to align with the policy of
England, Scotland, and Wales. Since 2011, these United Kingdom countries have
allowed men who have sex with men to donate blood only after they have
abstained from sex for one year. Health Minister Edwin Poots stated that he
wants to preserve Northern Ireland’s lifetime ban to prevent the spread of
STDs, not because he is a born-again Christian who objects to same-sex
relationships.
An anonymous gay man initiated the
suit to change Northern Ireland’s policy to the one-year deferral for blood
donation. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the man is also a born-again
Christian who now disapproves of gay sex. Northern Ireland’s Attorney General
John Larkin questioned that report and stated that the case “wasted” the
court’s time. Larkin argued the case was really about a man who was prohibited
from donating blood because he has “exchanged money for sex,” rather than being
about theology or a health department official’s views about morality.
Opposing council, David Scoffield
QC, advised Mr. Justice Treacy that the lifetime ban was disproportionately
harsh since only one “additional HIV infection per billion blood donations”
would occur if Northern Ireland adopted the 12-month deferral. Scoffield
claimed that would mean only one more HIV infection every 50,000 years. Judge
Treacy has not yet decided the outcome of the case.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit:
http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
