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| Gay blood donation: Lifetime ban in NI on gay men donating blood is to be lifted | Gay blood donation: Lifetime ban in NI on gay men donating blood is to be lifted |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Northern Ireland's lifetime ban on gay men donating blood is to be lifted. | Northern Ireland's lifetime ban on gay men donating blood is to be lifted. |
| Health Minister Michelle O'Neill said the new policy will come into affect on September 1. | |
| At present in Northern Ireland, any man who has had sex with another man is banned from giving blood permanently. | |
| A ban on gay men donating blood was brought in across the UK during the 1980s AIDS crisis, but was lifted in England, Scotland and Wales in November 2011. | |
| Northern Ireland retained the permanent ban. | Northern Ireland retained the permanent ban. |
| Ms O'Neill said on Thursday that she would lift the ban in favour of a '"one-year deferral system" as is the case in the rest of the UK. | |
| This means that gay and bisexual men can give blood one year after their last sexual contact with another man. | |
| Michelle O'Neill said: "The safety of donated blood depends on two things: donor selection and the testing of blood. | |
| "Every blood donation is tested for HIV and a number of other organisms. | |
| "Not even the most advanced tests are 100% reliable, so it is vitally important for every donor to comply with any deferral rules that apply to them. | |
| "I will instruct the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service accordingly." |