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Since the 1980s, the U.K., Canada, and the U.S. have prohibited men who have ever had sex with other men from donating blood. In this survey, investigators assessed adherence to the U.K.'s rule against blood donations in 474 men who had had penetrative sex (anal or oral) with other men.
Eleven percent reported donating blood while ineligible (3% during the previous 1 year). Ineligible blood donation was significantly less common among men who had male penetrative sex within the previous 12 months, compared to longer ago. Reasons for nonadherence were self-categorization as low risk (e.g., believed they practiced safe sex), discounting some sexual experiences that barred donation (e.g., rape), belief that screening blood for infectious agents…