Petition · past parliament
Bring an end to blood donation deferrals for MSM (men who have sex with men)
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
Potential blood donors in the UK are turned away if they are men who have had sex with another man within the last 12 months. This significantly reduces the number of potential donors. This discriminatory policy targets MSM rather than taking into account patterns of sexual behaviour.
Although all blood is tested, MSM are excluded on account of a higher statistical rate of infections, and imperfect blood testing. This is a highly simplistic policy, as it groups all MSM into one catch-all category. A better policy would be to ask questions about patterns of sexual activity regardless of gender. Blood supplies are limited as it is, and monogamous same-sex couples are of no risk.
Blood donation by MSM without deferral is already permitted in Argentina, Russia, Italy etc.
Blood donation by MSM without deferral is already permitted in Argentina, Russia, Italy etc.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 10 Feb 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 15 Feb 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
15 Feb 2017
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.