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RIO DE JANEIRO | Brazil’s Supreme Court overturned guidelines limiting gay and bisexual men from donating blood May 8, calling the measures unconstitutional.
Seven of the country’s Supreme Court justices voted in favor of overthrowing the restrictions, ending waiting periods for men who have sex with other men prior to donation. They previously barred them from donating blood for one year.
The U.S., facing pressure from advocates as the world grapples with COVID-19, eased a similar policy last month. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration reduced its recommended deferral period for men who have had sex with men from one year to three months.
The case had spent nearly four years in the South American country’s judicial system, Reuters reported May 9. The justices backed Supreme Court Minister Edson Fachin, the outlet noted, “who argued this offended the basic human dignity of gay and bisexual men.”
“Instead of the state enabling these people to promote good by donating blood, it unduly restricts solidarity based on prejudice and discrimination,” Fachin wrote.
Denmark, Australia and Northern Ireland have joined the U.S. in relaxing restrictions amidst COVID-19, which worldwide LGBTQ advocates have still called discriminatory.
