Gay son prevented from donating blood to dying mother

Canadian Blood Services lifts ban on gay bone marrow donors
Change affects relatively few, activists say; no movement on blood donationCanadian Blood Services is best known for its blood drives, where a lifetime prohibition on gay donors persists.

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A generation of young activists, concentrated on university campuses, is agitating for a change in policy. The Canadian Federation of Students has officially opposed the prohibition on gay blood donors since 1998, says Brent Farrington, a campaigner with CFS.

The change in the stem-cell registry is positive, says Farrington, but it doesn't mean that the rules prohibiting gay male blood donors are on their way out the door.

"It's a no-brainer," he says. "Sure, it's a positive step in that it recognizes that there isn't an inherit risk [posed by gay men.]"

Farrington points out that the procedure surrounding bone marrow is more akin to organ donation than blood donation. He also says it's a relatively minor change, given the number of transplants.

"It's the smallest of the patient groups that CBS deals with," he says.

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