A new petition by MoveUP, a union that represents over 12,000 members at public and private sector companies in Western Canada has called on the Canadian Blood Services to end what is being called a discriminatory blood ban.
Currently, gay or bisexual men and transgender women are banned from donating blood unless they have been celibate for at least one year.
“The blood ban by Canadian Blood Services is discriminatory. They say it is based on science, but it is not, it is purely discrimination,” said Gunter Seifert, a member of MoveUP’s executive council and co-chair of the Human Rights Committee. “This policy is not only discriminatory and offensive but it puts the lives of Canadians who need blood at risk by lowering the pool of donors.”
The petition, which is openly supported by Burnaby South MP Kennedy Stewart, the NDP’s Science Critic and BC Caucus chair, will be open to the public to sign until July 17. Since launching on March 19, over 3700 signatures have been collected all across Canada, with some signatures even coming from outside of the country.
MoveUP Vice President Annette Toth, who started the petition, believes there is a clear discriminatory nature to the Canadian Blood Services current policy.
“Modern screening tests are what keeps our blood supply safe,” said Toth. “If the issue with the testing is that HIV is undetectable in the first nine days then everyone should be screened. Why not ask all potential donors to be celibate for at least nine days? It is discrimination and it is ridiculous to tell some people to be celibate for one year. Their policy just does not meet the facts.”
MoveUP urges Canadians to sign the e-petition, as they state discrimination has no place in a time where the safe blood supply is incredibly low.
“We all want safe blood and Canadian Blood Services has even admitted that our national blood supply is at a critically low level,” said Seifert. “Screening questions should be based on safety and science, not sexual orientation. We, as a country, simply can’t afford to turn down clean blood from a particular source because we’re stuck with 1950s morality. Human rights and lives are both at stake.”
For more information concerning MoveUp’s e-petition, visit https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-1589.
