|| News ||
July 01, 2008
Gay Blood Ban Retained in Finland
Finland's
government announced Monday that the Finnish Red Cross
policy of barring men who have sex with men from donating
blood is lawful.
"These statements
contain appropriately reasoned epidemiological
information to the effect that sex between men clearly
increases the risk of contracting serious
blood-transmitted diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis
B and C, and thereby increases the safety risk in blood
transfusion," said Riitta-Leena Paunio, the country’s
parliamentary ombudsman, according to Finnish News
Agency STT.
Currently, a man
who has ever had oral or anal sex with another man, even
with a condom, is barred for life from donating blood
because he is deemed to be at high risk of passing on
sexually transmitted diseases. (The Advocate)
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