US to turn gays away from sperm banks

Yahoo! News ^ | May 20, 2004

[Serb5150]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US government said it would ban homosexuals from making anonymous donations to sperm banks, in the name of preventing transmittable diseases, in a move swiftly condemned by gay rights groups.

New Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) rules that take effect May 25 require agencies that collect tissues or cells including sperm to ask the donor if he has had sex with men or used injectable drugs in the past five years. If the answer is affirmative in either case no donation is allowed.

The FDA says the rules are just an extension of procedures already in effect for donating blood or organs.

"This new rule was developed with input from many concerned consumers, associations and tissue establishments. In all cases, we carefully considered the comments we received in the proposed rule and made changes in the final rule when the science supported the change," said Acting FDA commissioner Lester Crawford.

But homosexual rights groups slammed the move.

"The FDA guidelines are unscientific. There is a 72 hour test which would provide information as to whether a person was HIV (news - web sites) positive, we know that even the International Red Cross accepts blood from men who have sex with men," said Roberta Sklar, spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (news - web sites).

"This is another instance of the Bush administration ignoring scientific information and putting forth their own agenda to satisfy the extreme right wing conservative voters. It does not take in current scientific findings and recommendations.

[upchuck]

"The FDA guidelines are unscientific. There is a 72 hour test which would provide information as to whether a person was HIV (news - web sites) positive, we know that even the International Red Cross accepts blood from men who have sex with men," said Roberta Sklar, spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (news - web sites)

Oh how clever are the fagots. "We know that even the International Red Cross accepts blood..." implies that "lesser" organizations, such as the American Red Cross, "accepts blood from men who have sex with men." Have you seen the questionnaire the American Red Cross has a potential donor fill out? I don't believe it explicitly asks if you're a queer. But it does ask if you have had same sex. It even asks if you've been to certain South African countries where AIDS is rampant. If you answer yes to any of these questions, they ask that you not give blood. Mr. Sklar is correct that there is a 72 hour test. And the American Red Cross applies this test to the donated blood. No doubt this test, or something similar will be used for the sperm as well.

[Gamecock]

If they want to reproduce, let them do it like the rest of us!

[Bluntpoint]

Yeah. Let them sneak up on their wifes while they are sleeping.

[Auntbee]

That is wrong!!!! :)

[Jeff Gordon]

we know that even the International Red Cross accepts blood from men who have sex with men,

The US Red Cross does not accept blood from who have had sex with men.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

There is a 72 hour test which would provide information as to whether a person was HIV (news - web sites) positive, we know that even the International Red Cross accepts blood from men who have sex with men," said Roberta Sklar, spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (news - web sites).

Unfortunately HIV isn't the only disease homosexuals are known to suffer from. Testing their blood will cost a small fortune.

[Bluntpoint]

I miss the sperm banks of my youth.

[Serb5150]

I read your response before I read your handle.... creeped me out there for a moment

[Askel5]

.

[Freebird Forever]

Homosexuality is a birth defect. Why take the chance on passing it along to the next generation.

I don't completely accept the hypothesis that homosexual behavior is of genetic origin. But in this case, better safe than sorry.

If a woman truly desires to be impregnated by defective germ cells, she could always advertise for such in the classified section of some seedy free newspaper. Or find a french guy.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

I know gays cannot donate plasma. I do not think they can donate blood to the American Red Cross. No one has the RIGHT to donate.

[End Times Sentinel]

anonymous donations to sperm banks

Okay... either this means that "anonymous" just means you can't find out the donors name, but the rest of the key Phenotypic info (height, weight, race, etc.) is included.  In this case, is there really a large call for "homosexual" on the list of traits or doesn't that matter?

If anonymous means "we don't have any idea who it came from, just some guy who showed up and got paid", would anyone choose that for artificial insemination???

Owl_Eagle
" WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
DIVERSITY IS STRENGTH"

[Bluntpoint]

Remember when the kids at sperm banks were the clean cut, wholesome types?

Now it is just a Starbucks for the homoly inclined!

[afraidfortherepublic]

I've been listening to so-called "gays" (who always seem to be unhappy) claim for the last 10 years that their sexual orientation is hard-wired into their psyches. If true, that sounds genetic to me. So, why would they want to pass it on?

No offense meant by my comment. Just asking...

[arthurus]

Why would a "gay' flinch from simply saying no?

[Nurse Ratched]

"better safe, than sorry"

you bet.

[skeeter]

Why would a "gay' flinch from simply saying no?

One who was interested only in donating wouldn't.

[Verginius Rufus]

The International Red Cross must have less stringent rules than the American Red Cross. The American Red Cross won't take blood from anyone who has spent 6 months or more in Europe since January 1, 1980, because of the mad cow scare, but the European branches of the IRC can't possibly have a rule like that (or they would have to be importing all of their blood supplies from other continents).

[Serb5150]

Agreed. I find it hard to believe that 'homosexual' would be high on any desirable traits list.

Their desire to donate shouldn't obligate the sperm banks to accept an unwanted donation. I've been turned down by the Salvation Army before when I brought in items they didn't think would sell.