Sweden upholds gay blood ban for at least a year

By Staff Writer, PinkNews.co.uk • December 1, 2006 - 0:00

The issue of banning gay blood donors has drawn protest in the USA and UK

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Plans to repeal Sweden's ban on gay blood donors have been delayed for at least a year.

Last August, Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare announced they would be reviewing the rule, introduced to prevent the spread of HIV, with many thinking it would be amended to allow donations from gay men who had not had sex for six months.

But a medical adviser told the Board that more analysis is needed.

Torsten Mossberg told Swedish English language paper The Local "The board will make the decision, but we will be recommending that men who have sex with men remain banned.

"We need to carry out a more thorough risk analysis, and expect to return with a new proposal towards the end of next year,"

The issue of banning gay blood donors has drawn protest in the USA and UK, unlike in Spain and Italy where there is no such ban and in Australia where gay men must have not had sex in the last year to be applicable.

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