France to lift ban on gay men giving blood

France said Wednesday it will lift a ban on gay men giving blood, but only if they abstain from sex in the months beforehand -- an exclusion denounced as discriminatory by rights groups.

"Giving blood is an act of generosity, of civic responsibility, and the donor's sexual orientation cannot be a condition," Health Minister Marisol Touraine said in Paris.

Lifting of the ban, introduced in 1983 to halt the spread of AIDS, amounted to "lifting a taboo," she announced, making good on an election promise of French leader Francois Hollande.

At first, donation of "whole blood" -- the combination of red cells, plasma and platelets -- will be open to gay men who report not having had sex for the preceding 12 months, the minister specified.

For donations of only plasma, the liquid component of blood, donors will be considered if they have not had sex with another man for four months, or were in a monogamous relationship.

Experts will then analyse whether the change in policy has increased risk, after which measures may be relaxed further in 2017, the minister said.

French rights group SOS Homophobie said in a statement that the new measure still amounted to "discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation", as no prerequisite for abstention existed for heterosexual men or women.

"This does not end the stigmatisation of gay and bisexual men," it said.

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