Posted on 06/14/2012 9:48:20 AM PDT by fwdude
(CNSNews.com) – Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) sent a letter signed by 62 other Democrats to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, supporting her agency's review of the policy that bans homosexual and bisexual men from donating blood.
The Democrats say the ban is “outdated,” and they called the HHS pilot study an important step in "assessing the feasibility of allowing healthy gay and bisexual men to donate blood while maintaining the safety of our blood supply."
“Patients across the country desperately need life-saving blood transfusions, yet perfectly healthy would-be donors are turned away based solely on sexual orientation,” Quigley said.
“Equality for the LGBT community is closer than ever but outdated and discriminatory policies like this must evolve to match advancements in science and technology.”
“We’ve been working on this a long time, and I applaud Secretary Sebelius for taking this important step toward ending the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood, and instead relying on the science of today, not the myths of twenty years ago,” Kerry said. “I’m confident that the findings of these new studies will pave the way to get this policy off the books.
The lawmakers said the study will at least provide an "informed evaluation" of what it will take to end the ban on homosexuals donating blood. Currently, any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 is banned for life from donating blood.
The HHS pilot study will look at alternative criteria for deferring donations from men who have sex with men.
In their letter, Kerry and Quigley asked HHS to explore ways of distinguishing "high-risk" homosexuals from "low-risk" homosexuals.
"For instance, the donor questionnaire could collect information on whether or not the donor is in a monogamous relationship or if the donor engages in effective preventive measures," the wrote. "In this way the donor questionnaire could assess the risk level of all potential donors, regardless of sexual orientation."
They also urged HHS to "be vigilant" in avoiding any "real or perceived unwarranted discriminatory treatment" of homosexuals in the process of conducting the pilot study.
This is the second letter Kerry and Quigley have sent to Sebelius urging a policy change on homosexual blood donors. The first was sent in June 2010.
Kerry and every d-Rat who signed this letter should be forced to have blood from just such sexually-active homosexuals that they deem “low risk” injected into them before anything like this goes through. I’d like to see how many of them would retract their support.
I remember the story on the news right after 9/11 showing Yasser Arafat ostentatiously donating blood in supposed solidarity with the victims of the attacks. Presumably they dumped his blood once the cameras were gone.
At least 400 Canadians died from tained blood from the Arkansas prisons when Slick was Gov there.
THE STORY OF A CRIMINAL ENTERPRISE
SUBSECTION: TAINTED BLOOD
Revised 1/8/01
TAINTED BLOOD SCANDAL
According to the CDC it can take up to 6 months for the disease to progress to the point its detectable using current tests. At that point the test is apparently 99% accurate.
I couldn’t agree more. He would probably show the same level of courage as he did when he stabbed American soldiers in the back. There are few people who I hold in lower regard than Kerry.
That is a great dea!! Homos and bisexuals can donate blood to each other, just not to those of us who think this is absolutely STUPID!!!
There is no such thing as a low risk homosexual. The whole point of the lifestyle is extreme high risk behavior anytime, anywhere, with anyone.
That also is why there is no such thing as a monogamous homosexual. Gay monogamy is nothing like a normal monogamous husband-wife marriage. No married guy I know gets Thursday nights “off”.
If it was only to each other it’d be fine. But that’s not what it is.
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