LET US GIVE!

Australia has one of the lowest blood donor rates in the world and regularly runs critically short of blood.

 

There is a large group of potential donors who are blocked from giving. Gay men, bisexual men, transgender women and some non-binary people who have sex with men, are expected to abstain from sex for three months before giving blood because of outdated fears about HIV infection.

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If those of us who are safe to give are allowed to, there will be an extra 25,000 litres of blood available for Australians in need.

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Other countries like the US, Britain and Canada have abandoned the antiquated bans based on the gender of your sexual partner. They have adopted a policy of individual risk assessment that screens all donors for the safety of their sexual activity.

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The result has been blood supplies that are safer, more plentiful and less discriminatory. 

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It’s time for Australia to follow their lead.