MLA Outcry Over Poots Gay Blood Ban

There has been outcry among MLAs of all parties following the decision by DUP Health Minister Edwin Poots to attempt to continue a lifetime ban on gay men donating blood in Northern Ireland.

Belfast High Court ruled on Friday that Mr Poots did not have the power to retain a lifetime ban.

The UK-wide ban was lifted in 2011 from all regions, apart from Northern Ireland.

Minister Poots was told by the judge his decision to continue the lifetime ban was "irrational", and that he had breached ministerial code by failing to bring an equality issue before the Executive.

Ulster Unionist Health spokesperson Roy Beggs said: "UK scientists and statisticians have deemed that it is safe to accept blood donations from gay men who have abstained for a period of 12 months or more.

"We must allow scientific evidence to be the basis of any decision on this matter. At a time when the demand for blood is at an all-time high, it is senseless to turn away any safe donation.

"I am concerned that a High Court judge has deemed that the Minister of Health has breached the Ministerial code, clearly he has questions to answer on this matter."

Sinn Féin Assembly Chief Whip Caitriona Ruane said: "In terms of equality it is important that the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community have the same rights as everyone else yet this is being denied day and daily by the failure not to bring a strategy forward.

"In order to do so, a sexual orientation strategy was set out yet the DUP have dragged their feet in bringing about a comprehensive document that we can work to bring about equality.

"I would like the DUP to explain why they are resisting gay rights as seen with the ban on gay men donating blood although the medical evidence has shown that this blood is screened and as safe as blood donated by other groups."

Alliance Health spokesperson Kieran McCarthy said Mr Poots' credibility as Health Minister "is being undermined through successive failures in legal cases"

"How can the Minister give the Assembly and the people of Northern Ireland any confidence that he is approaching social issues on a rational, objective, evidence-based manner rather than imposing his own personal views on others?" he said.

"The Minister must apologise for wasting public money on court cases that he knows he cannot win.

"I hope that the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood will be urgently removed. The Minister has now claimed that it is now up to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to resolve this issue, yet why was this not the case last week when he challenged the court case?"

Green MLA Steven Agnew added: "We believe the Minister needs to now consider his position as it has been shown that he pursued his own agenda for his own ideological reasons rather than working within the Executive framework as he was required to do.

"This indicates a serious lapse in judgment and proves that not only did he waste public money, but that he has also failed to recognise the scope of his remit.

"This is not the first time Minister Poots has spent public funds to pursue his own agenda as he continues to challenge the courts over same sex couples adopting in Northern Ireland.

"We must seriously question his ability to do this job in an independent way as he has proven himself incapable of separating his own personal prejudices from his responsibilities as Health Minister to every member of our society in Northern Ireland."

(IT/CD)