Here’s one of the first political benefits of shifting serious ministerial offices, Michelle O’Neill announces that Northern Ireland will move towards the one year deferral system common across the UK…
Ms O’Neill said on Thursday that she would lift the ban in favour of a ‘”one-year deferral system” as is the case in the rest of the UK.
This means that gay and bisexual men can give blood one year after their last sexual contact with another man.
Michelle O’Neill said: “The safety of donated blood depends on two things: donor selection and the testing of blood.
“Every blood donation is tested for HIV and a number of other organisms.
“Not even the most advanced tests are 100% reliable, so it is vitally important for every donor to comply with any deferral rules that apply to them.
The right thing is done by Sinn Fein, barely costing the DUP a penny in political capital. More of that sort of thing please?
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
