Wales to lift restrictions on LGBTQ+ people donating tissue and stem cells
"Wales had agreed to lift the restrictions which had prevented MSM donating blood"
The Welsh Government has announced that restrictions on LGBTQ+ people donating will be lifted.
Previous preventions have stopped LGBTQ+ people from donating tissue, surgical bone and stem cells.
A review of the restrictions took place by the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk). The FAIR group includes representations from all UK blood services, medical, scientific and academic experts, and LGBTQ+ groups.
FAIR’s review provided recommendations that were then submitted to the Welsh government as part of a four-nation agreement.
Tissue and cell donation can save and change the lives of patients to repair or rebuild bodies and faces.
Bone marrow/stem cells also provide lifesaving treatments to patients with certain types of cancers, blood and immune system diseases.
As of Tuesday (18 September), Eluned Morgan, Minister for Health and Social Services, announced that changes will be made.
Morgan announced “Wales had agreed to lift the restrictions which had prevented MSM donating blood,” in a statement.
“I am pleased to announce the implementation of the FAIR III recommendations will extend this to tissue and cell donations,” she added.
Additionally, MSM (men who have sex with men) questions across risk assessments for living and deceased tissue and cell donations will end.
“The changes will ensure a fairer and more up to date assessment of risk is applied to all donors”
“These new recommendations will change the questions asked to MSM donors and MSM partner donors to a gender-neutral risk-based approach and will create a more inclusive donation process within Wales.”
Morgan noted they have instructed services “to move to a more individualised assessment of whether donors may be at risk of a blood-borne virus infection.”
This is regardless of their sex, gender or sexual orientation.
“The changes will ensure a fairer and more up to date assessment of risk is applied to all donors.”
“This will create a more inclusive donation process within Wales”
Tracey Rees, Interim Chief Scientific Officer for the Welsh Blood Service, also released a statement on the upcoming changes.
“We were proud to be one of the first countries in the world to introduce the recommendations of the FAIR steering group in 2020.
“We are delighted our work with the FAIR steering group has led to further changes to the regulations around tissue and cell donation in the UK,” she said.
Changes would also improve the “safety of tissue and cell donation thanks to the introduction of fairer eligibility criteria.”