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20/06/2012
Poots Under Pressure Over Gay Blood Ban
A union that represents 200,000 Northern Ireland students has called on the Health Minister to step down over his refusal to allow gay men to donate blood.
NUS-USI has unanimously passed a motion to put pressure on Edwin Poots to overturn the ban.
A ban on gay men giving blood has recently been loosened in other parts of the UK, and men who have not had sex with another man for 12 months can now donate, but Mr Poots continues to uphold the outright ban.
Meanwhile, blood stocks from England, Scotland and Wales including donations from gay men can be used to treat patients here in Northern Ireland.
Adrianne Peltz, president of NUS-USI, called on Mr Poots to reconsider his position.
She said: "Edwin Poots has had every opportunity to end the ban but his abject failure is disgraceful. It's time that he considered his position as Health Minister. His intransigence on this issue of equality has brought shame on Northern Ireland."
Mr Poots said his decision not to lift the outright ban was based on a letter from the Republic of Ireland's Minister of Health and a document by the European Department for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare.
Both documents suggested gay men carried extra risk factors for HIV infection as compared to straight men.
But the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood in the rest of the UK was lifted in light of evidence from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs.
(NE)
NUS-USI has unanimously passed a motion to put pressure on Edwin Poots to overturn the ban.
A ban on gay men giving blood has recently been loosened in other parts of the UK, and men who have not had sex with another man for 12 months can now donate, but Mr Poots continues to uphold the outright ban.
Meanwhile, blood stocks from England, Scotland and Wales including donations from gay men can be used to treat patients here in Northern Ireland.
Adrianne Peltz, president of NUS-USI, called on Mr Poots to reconsider his position.
She said: "Edwin Poots has had every opportunity to end the ban but his abject failure is disgraceful. It's time that he considered his position as Health Minister. His intransigence on this issue of equality has brought shame on Northern Ireland."
Mr Poots said his decision not to lift the outright ban was based on a letter from the Republic of Ireland's Minister of Health and a document by the European Department for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare.
Both documents suggested gay men carried extra risk factors for HIV infection as compared to straight men.
But the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood in the rest of the UK was lifted in light of evidence from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs.
(NE)
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15 October 2013
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There has been outcry among MLAs of all parties following the decision by DUP Health Minister Edwin Poots to attempt to continue a lifetime ban on gay men donating blood in Northern Ireland. Belfast High Court ruled on Friday that Mr Poots did not have the power to retain a lifetime ban.
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There has been outcry among MLAs of all parties following the decision by DUP Health Minister Edwin Poots to attempt to continue a lifetime ban on gay men donating blood in Northern Ireland. Belfast High Court ruled on Friday that Mr Poots did not have the power to retain a lifetime ban.
01 September 2016
Lifetime Blood Ban Donation Lifted For Gay Men In NI
A lifetime blood ban on the donation of blood by gay men in Northern Ireland has been lifted today, 01 September. NI Health Minister Michelle O'Neill announced the policy change in June this year.
Lifetime Blood Ban Donation Lifted For Gay Men In NI
A lifetime blood ban on the donation of blood by gay men in Northern Ireland has been lifted today, 01 September. NI Health Minister Michelle O'Neill announced the policy change in June this year.
02 June 2016
Ban On Blood Donations By Gay Men Lifted
The ban on blood donations by gay men has been lifted. The decision follows the Appeal Court ruling in March which confirmed that it is a devolved matter, and substantial new evidence showing that the risk of contracting HIV from donated blood is lower with a one-year deferral than with a lifetime ban.
Ban On Blood Donations By Gay Men Lifted
The ban on blood donations by gay men has been lifted. The decision follows the Appeal Court ruling in March which confirmed that it is a devolved matter, and substantial new evidence showing that the risk of contracting HIV from donated blood is lower with a one-year deferral than with a lifetime ban.
26 September 2001
Gay blood donation comments slammed in Assembly
A claim that homosexual blood donors could pass on the HIV virus has provoked outright condemnation in the Northern Ireland Assembly. In a debate tabled in the assembly on Human Rights, Democratic Unionist Edwin Poots for Laganvalley attacked the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for calling for a lift of the ban on homosexuals giving blood.
Gay blood donation comments slammed in Assembly
A claim that homosexual blood donors could pass on the HIV virus has provoked outright condemnation in the Northern Ireland Assembly. In a debate tabled in the assembly on Human Rights, Democratic Unionist Edwin Poots for Laganvalley attacked the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for calling for a lift of the ban on homosexuals giving blood.
23 September 2011
Bloody Row Over Gay Donations
There has been cross-community support for a bid to overturn a controversial decision by the NI Health Minister over blood donations by gay men. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Sinn Fein are accusing the DUP Minister of prejudice over his decision to maintain a lifetime ban on gay men donating blood.
Bloody Row Over Gay Donations
There has been cross-community support for a bid to overturn a controversial decision by the NI Health Minister over blood donations by gay men. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and Sinn Fein are accusing the DUP Minister of prejudice over his decision to maintain a lifetime ban on gay men donating blood.
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