The health minister of France announced on Wednesday, Nov. 4, that the government will lift its ban on blood donation by gay men in a move she described as a way to end a taboo and discrimination against homosexuals in the country.

Minister Marisol Touraine said that by the spring of 2016, a person's sexual orientation will no longer be used as basis for refusing blood donations.

The French government's decision to change its policy on blood donation was made as a result of a ruling from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which said the bans should be in accordance with strict conditions.

Lifetime bans on blood donation by gay men were imposed by various governments because of fear of spreading the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

According to Touraine, gay men will be allowed to donate whole blood, or the combination of plasma, platelets and red blood cells, after reporting of not engaging in sex in the previous 12 months.

Individuals who want to donate plasma, which is the blood's liquid component, will be allowed if they have not engaged in sexual intercourse with another male partner for four months, or if they were part of a monogamous relationship.

Health experts will then determine whether the shift in policy has increased HIV risk, after which Touraine said measures on blood donations may be further relaxed in 2017.

SOS Homophobie, a French LGBT rights group, said the government's move can still be considered as discrimination on individuals based on their sexual orientation because there is no such abstention requirements placed on heterosexual men or women.

The group said it does not serve to end the stigmatization experienced by gay and bisexual men.

Anti-homophobia and anti-AIDS advocate Jean-Luc Romero said the new measure is still not enough to fully address the issue.

"Once again, the focus is on a specific population group rather than on high-risk behavior — in essence, a stigmatization of homosexuals," Romero pointed out.

Blood donation safety is a sensitive issue in France following the spread of HIV in the country during the 1980s, which led to the death of hundreds of people. The outbreak was traced to a national blood transfusion center that had distributed blood contaminated with the virus.

The tainted blood was also distributed abroad, resulting in the deaths and infection of hundreds of people in other countries as well.

The chief of the transfusion service and several other government officials were fined or jailed.

Photo : Warren Rohner | Flickr