Gay men should be able to donate blood, students say College group pressures Red Cross

Concord Monitor, LA Times ^ | 7/11/05 | Steve Bodzin

[Dane]

Gay men should be able to donate blood, students say College group pressures Red Cross

By STEVEN BODZIN Los Angeles Times July 11. 2005 8:06AM

WASHINGTON - For more than a decade, gay rights advocates have grumbled about a federal policy that forbids blood donation by men who have had sex with men.

They say that the policy, originally intended to keep HIV-positive blood from entering the nation's blood supply, implies gay men are inherently sick and that it prevents healthy people from donating.

Occasional protests and talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which oversees blood banks, have brought no change.

Now, some college students have taken up the cause, and they're taking a new tack. Instead of pressuring the FDA directly, they are going after the American Red Cross - the largest and highest-profile blood collector in the country.

Unlike America's Blood Centers, which represents the non-Red Cross blood banks that collect most of the nation's blood, the Red Cross publicly supports the policy. Activists say that if they can get the Red Cross to change its stance, the FDA will follow.

While many gay rights advocates have treated the blood ban as a low priority, college groups have begun to take on the issue. They argue that, although safe blood supplies are essential, this particular policy is outdated, ineffective and homophobic.

[Dane]

The inodctrinated marxists are not concerned about keeping the blood supply safe.

[PzLdr]

Gay men should be allowed to donate blood- to progressive college students.

[OldSmaj]

They say that the policy...implies gay men are inherently sick...

Well, they are sick.

Perverted, disgusting, mentally ill and usually physically ill.

No, I don't believe I want their blood.

Sue me for my intolerance, but I'd prefer not to have to worry about all the diseases that soddomites are prone to have as a result of their disgusting life styles.

[gridlock]

This is about the stupidest thing I can imagine. The ban on blood donations by men who have sex with men does not imply that they are inherently sick. But it is an indisputable fact that AIDS is much more prevalent amongst men who have sex with men. It is also true that blood can be infectious without showing up on the blood screening tests if the donor was exposed withing the two or three months prior to donation.

So, given that men who have sex with men are engaging in a high risk activity and are likely to have had exposures in the period where the screening test is useless, how can one prevent the introduction of HIV into the blood supply without a voluntary ban on using this blood for transfusions?

Only a college student could be so stupid to value ideological purity over simple public hygiene.

Oh, and BTW, men who have sex with men can donate all the blood they want. They can go from blood bank to blood bank and bleed themselves dry, if that is their wish. But at some point they are asked to confidentially indicate whether or not they have risk factors, and thus whether or not their blood should be used for transfusion. Simple human decency requires that they not let their blood be used for transfusion if they know they have risk factors.

I know gay men who are living with AIDS. I have known gay men who have died from AIDS. Not one of them would wish their disease on anyone else. The notion that anybody would want to knowingly donate blood for transfusion that may be tainted is such a ridiculous notion one would have to be an intellectual to believe it.

[linkinpunk]

You are correct.

But keep in mind how easy it is for flaming homosexuals to lie about it and give blood.

"IMA Gay American" McGreevy lied about it when he gave blood as governor. And nobody cared.

[commonasdirt]

"......implies gay men are inherently sick....."

Well, duh. And of course it's a low priority to the groups. In order to argue against the ban they would have to deny studies that show the higher disease rates in the gay community. Sure, lets put everyone at greater risk of receiving tainted blood in order to be PC and not thought of as "homophobic". This little battle will be going nowhere folks.

[gridlock]

I gotta think McGreevy used the confidential opt-out to prevent the use of his blood for transfusions. The New Jersey Blood Center, where I donate, gives you three opportunities to confidentially keep your blood from the blood supply, through the use of an unreadable bar code sticker, through a confidential verbal statement to the interviewer, or through an anonymous phone call after the fact. I am quite confident the Governor used one of these three.

[cvq3842]

Health and safety issues should not be politicized.

We should do what is necessary (in accordance with generally accepted medical standards) to reduce the spread of an incurable, fatal disease.

This is analogous to the "racial profiling" controversy in airport screening. Maybe in both contexts, we should ask ourselves if we would be using the same safeguards if the subject group were straight, white Christian males. Interesting how the left wants race, etc. to be "plus" factors in school admissions and employment, but not to be considered elsewhere.

[6SJ7]

More insane rantings from the Left, A.K.A. Death-wish Society.

[Larry Lucido]

Easy solution. Set up a private blood bank. By homos for homos.

[reformedliberal]

Isn't blood tested, independent of whatever the donor states?

And what about Hepatitis? Hep C can cause liver cancer eventually. I know people dying today or candidates for a liver transplant because of contracting Hep C thru a transfusion decades ago.

[stocksthatgoup]

What a great idea. I think I will buy a freezer.

[the invisib1e hand]

suer they should. and teach phys ed to little boys, and adopt children, etc. like cats should keep little birdies as pets. or something like that.

aside, I think we should organize and promote a "National Going Back in the Closet Day."

Anyone?

Better yet, make it international.

disclaimer: I don't hate homosexuals. But I think the homosexual agenda, well...sucks.

[anniegetyourgun]

More evidence of the culture of death folks.

[doc30]

And since gay men are from the group with highest infection rates and HIV does not test positive for some tiome after infection, these students essentially want the blood supply system in the U.S. destroyed. Either that, or they are looking for a propaganda victory by increasing HIV in the heterosexual population via tainted blood. These college students sicken me.

[doc30]

In order to argue against the ban they would have to deny studies that show the higher disease rates in the gay community.

Maybe that is their strategic goal - eliminate the statistic that shows that the population of gay men has the highest infection rate. It is a homophobic statistic and can be used to justify profiling against homosexuals. That does not fit the PC agenda, or the gay rights agenda, therefore must be done away with.

[Caesar Soze]

The Red Cross screens donations, but cannot detect all HIV tainted blood. For instance, there is a Type O HIV in Africa they don't always detect, so anyone who has received medical treatment from, lived in, or had sex with anyone who lived in a number of African countries are ineligible for blood donation.

The Red Cross says the possibility of getting HIV through a blood transfusion is 1 in 1.5 million. I'm not sure if they're saying 1 in 1.5 million transfused units have HIV, or if some other factor (dirty needle) transmits the HIV.

Allowing gays to openly donate blood would skew the odds somewhat, but I suspect that the benefits would outweigh the costs. I am always receiving unsolicited mail from the Red Cross about urgent shortfalls in our blood supply, but I've never received unsolicited news about HIV in the blood supply (or vCJD, for that matter -- I think the British Beef Ban is bull).

[Past Your Eyes]

What a bunch of morons. I give blood 4 or 5 times a year. It's thanks to them that the screening process now takes about 3 times as long as it used to. Over the past 40 years I've given probably 8 or 10 gallons of blood. If they let the queers started donating just like normal people they'll get no more from me. That's the one donation I will make to the Red Cross because they sure aren't going to get any of my money.

[sgtbono2002]

*****The notion that anybody would want to knowingly donate blood for transfusion that may be tainted is such a ridiculous notion one would have to be an intellectual to believe it.*******

There are several cases on record where men and women who have contracted AIDS have been known to go out and practice unsafe sex as payback for their own having contracted it.

Many people with Aids have sex without informing their partner . Is there a difference between this and giving blood?

I would say these people would knowingly and gladly give blood for the same reason.

I am happy your friends wouldnt , but there are some strange people out there.

[anniegetyourgun]

Soon we'll all go autologous....or maybe I'll go into the blood boutique business to sell "safe" stuff. Franchise anyone?