But it took years and $5 million worth of research into safety before it was recommended to Health Canada.Ĭanadian Blood Services, which runs the blood donation program, indicated it was confident the ban on sex workers giving blood could happen by the fall if approved by Health Canada. Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promised to scrap the ban on gay men donating blood during the 2015 election campaign. The current lifetime ban on sex workers giving blood also extends to people who have had sex with a sex worker or exchanged money or drugs for sex. It doesn't end if it gets reduced to one year," she added. "Right now we are looking at a year but we will continue to look at it in future. She said the review was part of a drive to make sure blood donation policies were more inclusive and equitable. The length of time gay men were banned from giving blood was gradually reduced before being scrapped completely last month.Ĭatherine Lewis, a spokeswoman for Canadian Blood Services, said it had made the request to Health Canada to end the lifelong ban on sex workers donating blood in the past few weeks, having done research to ensure the recommendation would keep the blood supply safe. The move follows an end last month to the ban on gay and bisexual men from donating blood, which was welcomed by MPs and LGBTQ advocates.Ĭanadian Blood Services said it would be prepared to recommend that Health Canada reduce the time sex workers have to wait before donating blood to less than a year, but wanted to make changes incrementally. The ban, introduced 45 years ago, is set to be replaced by a one-year "deferral" after paid sex work. The blood-donation service this month recommended to Health Canada that it abolish the lifetime ban on donation by people who have taken money or drugs in exchange for sex. Canadian Blood Services wants to scrap a lifetime ban on sex workers giving blood in a further move to make blood donation more equitable.