“Finally, the same regulations should apply to everyone,” says Peter Heggli, director of the Pink Cross Association. He finds it discriminatory that gay and bisexual men are only allowed to donate blood after a one-year waiting period with sexual abstinence. “Nobody goes without sex long enough to ultimately be able to donate their blood.” The swissmedic, which sets the regulations for a blood donation, justifies the waiting period as follows:
“People who, according to epidemiological study data, have a higher risk of contracting a certain disease are not allowed to donate blood because current laboratory and production analysis methods cannot exclude all risks 100%. In this consideration, the safety of those receiving blood products is paramount.”
In the article by TELE TOP you can find out what the cantonal hospital in Schaffhausen and the Pink Cross association think about it:
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