Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to end discrimination against homosexual men when donating blood.

This emerges from an amendment to the transfusion law, about which the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” reports.

"Sexual orientation and gender identity must not be exclusion or deferral criteria," it says.

With the amendment, Lauterbach uses a provision from the SPD coalition agreement.

Greens and FDP from 2021.

"We are abolishing the blood donation ban for men who have sex with men and for trans people, if necessary also by law," it says.

With the planned change in the law, the German Medical Association should be obliged to adjust its blood donation guidelines accordingly within four months.

“Whether someone can become a blood donor is a question of risky behavior, not sexual orientation.

Hidden discrimination must not exist on this topic either," Lauterbach told the "RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland".

Risk assessment by questionnaire

The German Medical Association must finally understand what has long been a consensus in social life.

According to the relevant guideline of the German Medical Association, men who have sex with men may only donate blood if they have not had sexual intercourse with "a new or more than one sexual partner" in the past four months.

For all other people, however, the four-month ban only applies to "frequently changing partners".

According to the draft of the amendment, it is now stipulated that the sexual risk that leads to an exclusion or a deferral from the donation may only be determined "on the basis of the individual behavior of the person willing to donate", reports the "Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland".

Blood donations are tested for certain pathogens after delivery, such as infection with HIV, syphilis or hepatitis.

According to the blood donation information service, this serves both the safety of the donor and the recipient.

The personal risk of being infected with certain infectious diseases is recorded using a questionnaire.

Before 2017, men who had sex with men were not allowed to donate blood at all, then a deferral period of twelve and most recently four months was set.

Gay associations have been arguing for a long time that blood donation safety can be guaranteed even without such fundamental exclusions.