Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) has recently announced plans for a review of Australia's ban on sexually-active gay men donating blood. Canada, Scotland, Sweden and New Zealand have already conducted such reviews and the US is soon to follow suit.

At present, anyone who has had male-to-male sex is banned from donating blood for 12 months after the last sexual activity. Till now the Australian Red Cross had turned a blind eye to the policy with the standard reasoning that majority of Australians with HIV have been infected through sex among gay men. However generalization of all gay men into HIV positives is not justified. A majority of this population practices safe sex and may never be infected at all.

ARCBS spokesman Nick McGowan said on Monday, “We think its an opportune time to review the policy as it stands…We'll look at the policy as it stands ... and we'll cast a wide net to ensure we canvass all views, but also the review will take of any scientific data or medical findings that (may apply) both here and Australia and abroad.”

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