<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar/11341962?origin\x3dhttp://grwtemp.blogspot.com', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe", messageHandlersFilter: gapi.iframes.CROSS_ORIGIN_IFRAMES_FILTER, messageHandlers: { 'blogger-ping': function() {} } }); } }); </script>

FDA to Review Ban on Gay Men Donating Blood

The Washington Post is reporting that the FDA is considering a revision to its current lifetime ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men.

from the article:
The change in policy is being recommended by the American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks and America's Blood Centers, which collect virtually all the blood used for transfusions nationwide.
...
recommended that men be barred from donating for onlya year after having had sex with another man, treating them the same as other groups at increased risk for spreading sexually transmitted virus through donated blood.

okay, so still nothing that has to do with actual risk behaviors. not a ban anymore, just a prescribed abstinence period. great. okay, so who doesn't have sex for a whole year? and people can have all sorts of unsafe heterosexual sex and still give blood, but one instance of gay sex and you're out?

thankfully, Lamda Legal provides a voice of reason once again.

"The blood deferral policy that exists is not based on science. It's based on inertia and in many cases stereotypes," said Jon Givner of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. "The FDA should revisit the issue and adopt a deferral policy that is based on actual risk rather than sexual orientation."

it's not like they don't test all the blood. in reality, this policy does not make the blood supply safer. what it does instead is:
  1. reinforces stereotypes of sexual irresponsibility among gay men.
  2. alienates a significant portion of the population from blood donation (an important cause)
  3. forces men who have sex with men to lie about who they are and what they do if they want to give blood.
while that sounds a lot like the bush administration, it doesn't sound a whole lot like good science. the ban should be lifted completely, and restrictions on who can donate and when should be based on actual potential exposure to HIV/Hepatitis C. (not using condoms, etc...)

Posted by: fournier

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 22, 2006 at 8:33 AM. Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.

« Home | Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »
| Previous | Next »

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/23/06, 2:37 PM

WHAT!!! How are we free in this America! Theres no reason for this at all! They test the blood! Besides its not as if a gay guy is going to donate blood when he knows he has an STD (But guess what. Neither is a stright guy!)!    



By Blogger Kari Chisholm, at 4/11/06, 1:42 AM

This is the stupidest policy ever.

I used to give blood quarterly. Then, because of Mad Cow, they banned all people who have been to Europe for a total of six months since 1989 (or something.)

Well, I've never been there for longer than a month -- but when you add it all up..... no more blood from me.

Either they test the blood or they don't. In both cases, either the blood gets tested OK and all is well -- or they can't test the blood, and we're all screwed.

In either case, the policy makes no damn sense.    



» Post a Comment