France to lift ban on gay men giving blood: minister

November 04, 2015 17:04

France will lift a ban on gay men donating blood, introduced in the 1980s to prevent the spread of AIDS but criticised by rights groups, the health minister said today.

"Giving blood is an act of generosity, of civic responsibility, and the donor's sexual orientation cannot be a condition," Marisol Touraine announced in Paris.

"While respecting patient safety, today we are lifting a taboo," she said. Touraine said the lifting of the ban, promised by Francois Hollande in his presidential campaign, will happen in stages, starting next year.

At first, donation of "whole blood" - the red cells, plasma and platelets - will be open to gay men who have not been sexually active for the preceding 12 months, she specified.

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