On Wednesday, the federal cabinet initiated the end of discrimination against homosexual and bisexual men when donating blood.
The cabinet round approved a formulation aid from the Federal Ministry of Health for a corresponding change in the transfusion law. The goal is that homosexual men and trans people will no longer be excluded from donating blood from the outset.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) recently described the previous regulation as “hidden discrimination”. “Whether someone can become a blood donor is a question of risky behavior, not sexual orientation,” he said.
The blood donation restrictions for homosexuals date back to the time of the AIDS crisis. This was due to the concern that gay men were particularly at risk of passing on the virus by donating blood.
The measure has long been criticized as discriminatory. The traffic light parties had agreed to abolish it in their coalition agreement.
When it comes to assessing the risk of donating blood, only the individual sexual behavior of people who want to donate blood should be considered in future in the revised Transfusion Act. Sexual orientation and gender identity should no longer play a role.
The Federal Cabinet passed the new regulation in the form of a formulation aid. This means that it leaves the precise design of the draft law to the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag. (AFP)
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Source: Tagesspiegel
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