Gay men can finally donate blood in Iceland
11 October 2024
Gay men will be allowed to donate blood in Iceland from July 2025. Iceland, which is otherwise known for being progressive on LGBTQ+ rights, is one of the last European countries to implement these changes. The regulation change means that Icelandic health authorities will start NAT blood screenings of all donors to test whether the donor has hepatitis B or C, or HIV.
The lack of funding for such screenings is one reason why it has taken this long to implement the regulation, which was originally proposed in 2018. For decades, gay men have been designated as a risk group, more likely to be infected with HIV, and therefore banned from donating blood. With advances in testing, along with redefining the terms of who can donate blood, steps have been taken to dismantle outdated practices.
 | Axel Helgi Ívarsson Discussion and planning of changes to blood donation laws in Iceland have been going on for years. In 2022, parliament approved a three-year action plan on LGBTQ+ matters, including blood donation. Domestically, medical professionals have been in favour of gradual amendments to blood donation rules, whilst noting that the right to receive safe blood weighs heavier than the right to donate blood. In recent years, many European countries have changed their blood donation laws to allow gay men either to donate blood outright or with the clause of a deferral period. In Sweden, since 2021, there has been a six-month deferral period for men who have sex with men. Denmark changed its rules to a four-month deferral period in 2020 and removed the deferral period in July 2024. Similarly, Finland removed its deferral condition in 2023. |
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