‘Rethink gay donor bans’
A BELMONT woman who captured hearts around the world in her search for a lifesaving stem cell match has called for a review of restrictions that prevent sexually active gay men from donating blood or bone marrow.
Hodgkin lymphoma survivor Pamela Bou Sejean, who founded the not-for-profit charity UR The Cure, had been told in 2010 that her Lebanese background would make it unlikely she would find a match on the Australian registry.
While a match was found, Ms Bou Sejean was alarmed to find only 0.6 per cent of all donors on the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Register (ABMDR) had a Middle Eastern background.
Matches are more likely in those who share the same ethnicity.
Not content with this number, Ms Bou Sejean founded UR the Cure and made a submission to government in May this year highlighting recommendations to make it easier for people to join the bone marrow registry.
“One thing we specifically mentioned in it was about gay men being excluded from joining,” Ms Bou Sejean said.
“Gay men are excluded from joining the bone marrow donor registry in Australia, however, they are allowed to join in overseas countries like the UK. We thought it’s an appropriate time to highlight this fact. By excluding the entire gay male population (this) is another huge lost opportunity to save more lives.
“My argument always is if the UK and other countries overseas allow it then there are ways to overcome the barriers here.”
In her submission Ms Bou Sejean said: “In the UK gay men are allowed to join the bone marrow donor registry so there is no reason why Australia can’t do the same.”
In November this year British blood rules were further relaxed, allowing men who have sex with men to donate blood three months after their last sexual activity instead of 12.
The ABMDR website states men who have had male-tomale sex over the past 12 months are ineligible.
An ABMDR spokeswoman said the registry applies the same restrictions that the Blood Service applies to blood donors. “If an enrolled donor is ever matched to a specific patient, then an extensive screening process will occur that includes physical examination, infectious disease testing and a comprehensive medical questionnaire,” she said.
“At this final stage, a history of male-to-male sex within the applicable exclusion period (currently 12 months) would not necessarily prevent donation, if the donor is HIVnegative and the transplant centre has no other suitable donor.”