Canada’s organ donation policies are discriminatory, says an NDP MP who wants to eliminate a rule that bans sexually active gay men from making organ donations.

Windsor West MP Brian Masse plans to table a petition in the Commons by the end of the month calling for the end of a policy that makes men who’ve had sex with men within the past five years ineligible for organ donations.

Masse said he was inspired by Nancy and Rob Campana, whose son Rocky passed away at 23; because he was gay, his family could not donate his organs and save other people’s lives. The two started the iCANdonate campaign in an effort to raise awareness and get those policies changed.

“I saw what the Campanas were doing, in memory of Rocky,” Masse noted. “I sat down with them and we talked about it.”

The iCANdonate campaign zeroes in on organ and tissue donation regulations that came into effect in 2007, which standardized screening through new criteria.

“The goal is either to get a clear direction and reversal of (that) 2007 decision … or at least to have a study done, to bring the science to it,” Masse said. “Because there seems to be some misconceptions and also inconsistencies with organ donations related to gay males.

“So that’s what we’re trying to accomplish, is have it based on science and reality and make sure things are clear” and to ensure “organ donations are done for everyone, by everyone.”

There are ways to screen donors so that everyone stays safe and other countries are dealing with it much more progressively, he added.

Masse said he already has the support of over 30 MPs, with representation from every party in the House of Commons, and is working to get more Parliamentarians on board.

The next step, after the petition is officially sent to Parliament, is to wait for a response in writing from the minister of health. Then Masse and the other campaigners will know where the government stands and where to go from there.

“And we have a lot of people… who are losing an opportunity to get a donated organ, and we need to change that because there’s a long list in Canada,” Masse said.

“The more we wait, the more we lose. All people are trying to do is give the gift of life.”