Blood For All
A campaign to end the MSM blood donor ban in Ireland.
We’re all somebody’s type 🌈❤️
How To Donate Blood
Where to find a Clinic:
Use the IBTS’s Clinic Finder to locate the clinic closest to you
All clinics are appointment slot-based.
If there are no upcoming clinics in your area, you can register your interest and the IBTS will contact you prior to the clinic.
Making an Appointment:
All donations in all clinics are appointment-based slots.
You must make an appointment before donating blood.
Call 1850 731137 to make an appointment.
On the call, you will be asked questions relating to your eligibility to donate blood.
To familiarise yourself with these questions you can take the online
IBTS’s Eligibility Quiz
Before Attending:
All Donors are asked to bring Photo ID. This helps maintain blood safety by verifying the donor's identity before donating.
Drink plenty of cold, non-alcoholic fluids in the 24 hours prior to donating
Please ensure you eat something substantial in the 3 hours prior to your donation.
A donation only takes approximately 8 minutes, you will need to allow 60-90 minutes for the entire process, i.e. from the time you register to the rest period afterward while enjoying refreshments.
Complimentary refreshments and snacks are provided by clinics!
Sign the Petition
Blood For All is calling on the Irish Blood Transfusion Service to:
End the blood ban against MSM blood donors who use PrEP, are fully vaccinated against Hep B and/or practice safe sex
Enforce equal restrictions (should they continue to exist) on all potential donors such as regular STI screening.
You can learn more and sign our petition here
Email Your TD/Senator
Blood4All Automatic Email
The most effective form of outreach is personal unique emails. Please see below on how to draft an email to your local TD.
However, BloodForAll has also made an automatic email so you can send an email immediately to all TDs and Senators.
Please note this link only works on phones.
You can find the link here
Sending an email to your local TD
BloodForAll would really appreciate if every campaigner for this issue sent their own personal email in their own words to their local TDs.
It's a much more effective and direct way to get the attention of politicians as mass automatic emails can often be considered spam by email services.
Who is my TD?
To check which TD represents you in the Dáil you can find the
Who is my TD? website here
BloodForAll Sample Email
If at all possible please write your own email to your TDs detailing your issue with the 12 month MSM ban.
However, if you do not have the time or if you're simply unsure of what to say BloodForAll has written up a sample email that you are free to copy and paste to send to your local representatives.
Interest Form
Are you interested in donating blood?
Has discriminatory screening processes stopped you from donating in the past?
If the answer to either of those questions is yes then please fill out our form.
BloodForAll has created this form with the intent of presenting the figures to the IBTS (Irish Blood Transfusion Service) and showing them the amount of willing and/or interested donors who cannot donate because of discriminatory screening processes.
This form is completely anonymous. No emails are collected.
You can find the form here
Press Features
Gay Community News
Campaign launched calling for end to blood donor ban in Ireland
Pink News
Ireland urged to end ‘dehumanising’ blood ban ahead of major policy review: ‘It’s life or death’
Trinity News
Student-led group launches petition against 12 month MSM blood donor ban
Research Documents
The Irish Blood Shortage
IBTS imports blood from the NHSBT - IBTSBlood to be imported from England due to shortage -RTÉCall for new donors as blood supplies hit by pandemic - Independent.ie
WHO Reports:
Towards 100% voluntary blood donation: a global framework for actionBlood donor selection: guidelines on assessing donor suitability for blood donation
Academic Resources:
Reconsidering the lifetime deferral of blood donation by men who have sex with men - Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2010Scientific Background on the Risk Engendered by Reducing the Lifetime Blood Donation Deferral Period for Men Who Have Sex With Men - Transfusion Medicine Reviews, 2009Blood Donation, Deferral, and Discrimination: FDA Donor Deferral Policy for Men Who Have Sex With Men - The American Journal of Bioethics, 2010
Contact
To keep up to date with BloodForAll make sure to follow us on Twitter (@blood4allire) and Instagram(@blood4allireland)
We are contactable on either of those platforms through direct messages and you can also reach out to us through e-mail ([email protected])