Blood donations: sexual orientation no longer criteria for exclusion

Portuguese authorities will from now be taking pains to evaluate blood donors “according to principles of non-discrimination”. This means sexual orientation can no longer be used as a criteria for exclusion. Potential donors will however be “made aware and informed of behaviours with potential to expose (them) to risk of infections, and how to prevent these”. In other words, a monogamous homosexual who wants to give blood should not be turned away, as happened in January in Lisbon to Bruno Gomes d’Almeida (click here). This new directive by DGS health authorities has resulted from the working group set up to analyse Mr d’Almeida’s complaints.