Health Canada has approved a request from Canadian Blood Services to remove donor eligibility criteria specific to men who have sex with men.

The changes will be implemented later this year, and Canadian Blood Services says the criteria will now focus on sexual behavior associated with higher risk of infection among all donors.

They say the changes will put an end to men being asked during their pre-donation screening process if they’ve had sex with another man.

The new screening questions will be asked to all donors, regardless of sexual orientation, and will allow them to more precisely and reliably identify those who may have an increased chance of having a newly acquired transfusion-transmissible infection.

Dr. Graham Sher, CEO of Canadian Blood Services says the changes are the result of over a decade of work to make participation as inclusive as possible, without compromising the biological products or the security of the supply.