Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

The European Court of Justice issued the verdict that governments of European Union members may permanently forbid a gay man to donate blood, but under very strict conditions. The verdict was impatiently awaited by activists and governments of countries where homosexuals are prohibited from being blood donors throughout their life, including the USA and several European countries. Many governments with a permanent prohibition are considering the option of softening it, i.e. making it not permanent, while some European countries have already abolished such a prohibition. In Australia, a permanent prohibition has not existed for over ten years, while research shows that the safety of donated blood did not change.

Most of the prohibitions were introduced during the AIDS crisis, because sexually active gay men were more exposed to the AIDS-carrying HIV virus.

However, human rights activists and some medical professionals believe lifetime prohibitions are no longer justified, considering the advances in testing for HIV.

Source: AP, taken from www.euractiv.rs