Greece Turns Back the Clock With Lifetime Ban on MSM Blood Donation
Greece's Council of State, the nation's top administrative court, just slammed the door shut on blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM). With this ruling, they've scrapped a 2022 decree from the Health Ministry that had opened up donor eligibility for gay and bisexual men. The change pushes Greece back to the strict policies born out of the AIDS panic in the 1980s, ignoring significant leaps in science and medicine.
Until two years ago, the rules blocked MSM from donating blood for life. That ban was rooted in fear from the earliest days of HIV/AIDS. The Health Ministry tried to modernize things after decades of criticism and allowed MSM to join the pool of donors, removing questions about their sexual orientation. But now, the court’s decision reverses that progress — no matter what current medical research says about the safety of modern blood supplies.
What’s especially striking is that many countries have moved on from this kind of policy. The UK, the US, Canada, and Australia now use a deferral system. This means MSM can donate if they haven’t had sex with men for a certain period, often a few months. The reasoning is simple: today’s blood screening tech can spot HIV and other viruses quickly, so a lifetime block is seen as outdated by leading health authorities and researchers. Despite these advances, Greece has chosen to double down and join Singapore as one of the only countries worldwide holding onto a full ban.
LGBTQ+ Advocates Sound the Alarm Over Discrimination and Science
LGBTQ+ organizations have wasted no time in calling out what they see as outright discrimination. The argument is that the ban targets people based not on their actual health or risk, but purely on sexual orientation. Activists point out that risky behavior comes in many forms regardless of gender or whom someone has sex with — and that responsible screening should focus on those behaviors, not blanket bans on entire groups.
There’s also frustration among doctors and scientists who’ve spent years explaining how blood is screened in the lab for viruses and other diseases. Modern tests catch infections early, making it harder for pathogens such as HIV to slip through. That’s why countries like the UK dropped longstanding blanket bans and implemented science-based screening questions instead.
Health Minister Thanos Plevris had previously admitted the old policy might be well past due for revision and asked for reviews of the rules. But with the court’s ruling, the status quo returns. The move comes as blood donation rates lag and shortages hit hospitals — a situation many see as avoidable if otherwise healthy donors weren’t turned away.
This decision lands right in the middle of a bigger worldwide conversation: should protecting blood supplies come at the cost of equality? Or are there smarter ways to keep people safe while giving everyone a fair shot at helping save lives? For now, at least, Greece is holding the line on a policy much of the world considers history.