National

No Plans To Lift Restrictions On Gay Blood Donors: Canadian Blood Services

The Canadian Press , 12 Oct, 2014 05:48 PM

MONTREAL - The agency responsible for Canada's blood supply says there are no immediate plans to further relax restrictions on gay and bisexual blood donors despite the fact officials are testing the waters on the idea.

Canadian Blood Services lifted its lifetime donation ban on men who have sex with men in 2013, allowing those who had been abstinent for five years to donate.

Now, a new online survey, conducted by the polling firm Ipsos Reid on behalf of the agency, asks whether Canadians would be in favour of cutting the deferral period down to one year.

But Dr. Mindy Goldman of Canadian Blood Services says the agency isn't considering such a move at the moment.

Goldman says the survey is an attempt to gather views about possible changes that could be made in the next few years.

Canadian Blood Services announced in September its blood supply is "critically low" and appealed to all eligible donors to make a blood donation immediately.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Report Pleads For B.C. Government Funding To Help End Domestic Violence

VICTORIA - A new report that pleads with the B.C. government to invest in the fight against domestic violence highlights a brutal set of statistics in the province for 2014.

Report Pleads For B.C. Government Funding To Help End Domestic Violence

Canada Pension Plan’s Hidden Costs Make It Three Times More Expensive Than Reported

TORONTO - The Canada Pension Plan is hiding the fact that its administrative costs have more than tripled since 2006 because of transaction and external management fees, according to a new report from a conservative think-thank.

Canada Pension Plan’s Hidden Costs Make It Three Times More Expensive Than Reported

Mounties Consider Charges As ATV Crashes Into Okanagan Public Library

VERNON, B.C. - Two women may be facing charges after crashing an ATV into the front window of a public library in the North Okanagan.

Mounties Consider Charges As ATV Crashes Into Okanagan Public Library

Virgin Atlantic Drops Vancouver

VANCOUVER - Virgin Atlantic is dropping its only Canadian destination, Vancouver, when summer seasonal service ends Oct. 11. The service operated five flights per week.

Virgin Atlantic Drops Vancouver

PM Stephen Harper says divided UK not in global interest

LONDON, England - Stephen Harper says breaking up the United Kingdom would not serve the greater global interest, nor the interest of ordinary people throughout the country.

PM Stephen Harper says divided UK not in global interest

Few Jobless In Toronto Are Collecting Employment Insurance Benefits

OTTAWA - Just 17 per cent of unemployed Torontonians are collecting employment insurance benefits, one of the city's lowest rates ever as it confronts a higher jobless rate than the provincial and national average.