Free Republic

•Men who have sex with other men have been banned from donating blood by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1977. •According to the CDC, gay and bisexual men accounted for 63 percent of new HIV infections in 2010. Universities across the country are hosting a National Gay Blood Drive today to encourage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to change its current policies which prevent gay men from donating blood. According to the FDA’s website, men who have sex with other men (MSM) have an increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and other types of infections that can...

It seems that while the practice of bloodletting throughout history had little or no effect on most diseases, and the practice was abandoned in the 19th century, new research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine demonstrates that blood donation has real benefits for obese people with metabolic syndrome. Two sessions of bloodletting were enough to improve blood pressure and markers of cardiovascular disease.

New Jerseyans can be generous, but not when it comes to blood.  For 15 years, the state has lagged behind the nation in the percentage of people giving blood.  New Jersey hospitals were forced to spend  $18 million to $24 million in 2007 to buy supplies from other states, according to health and business experts who are banding together today to announce a statewide blood donation campaign. "Nine out of 10 people need blood at some point in their lives. Yet at most times of the year, the state has less than a two-day supply of blood." Nearly 60 percent...

Santa Cruz, Calif. -- A gay student prevented from donating blood because of his sexual history has stirred debate among Santa Cruz school officials over whether to continue hosting campus blood drives. Ronnie Childers, 17, student body president at Harbor High School, said he volunteered at a blood drive at his school earlier this month for five hours and waited in line for three more before being turned away. "I was turned away because of my sexual contacts," Childers said. "The reasoning behind me not being able to give blood is ridiculous. ... It made me feel like an outcast."...

I was giving blood today at work. For those of you who haven’t given blood recently, there are some major changes in how the blood is collected. It used to be that blood was taken by swabbing your arm with rubbing alcohol, and then a needle was placed into the vein in your elbow, and the blood was collected in a sterile bag. That part is still the same. However, there is now a choice of how one gives blood: the conventional way, or a new way called “power red”. This involved a complex machine which takes a portion of...

FL Gov Jeb Bush donating blood, August 2005 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Jeb Bush is asking Floridians to roll up their sleeves and pitch-in to help ease the shortage of blood supplies in Florida. Both Bush and Lt. Gov. Jennings took a few minutes out of their schedules to walk outside the Capitol and take part in a local blood drive. Florida usually sees blood supplies run low during the summer months because donors don't tend to give as much. But, the governor said the blood supply across the state is running lower than normal. FL Gov Jeb Bush...

<p>COLUMBIA, Mo. — Members of a sorority were urged to lie about their health to qualify as donors in a competitive blood drive at the University of Missouri-Columbia (search), a school that once set a world record for blood collection.</p>

<p>MONMOUTH, Ore. — The American Red Cross may soon be banned from holding blood drives on one university campus because the organization prohibits some gay men from donating blood.</p> <p>"We're looking at the practices of the Red Cross — whether they are discriminatory, and if they are, how it relates back to our policy," said Gary Dukes, vice president of student affairs at Western Oregon University.</p>

Story Number: NNS040308-15 Release Date: 3/9/2004 12:38:00 AM By Journalist 2nd Class Ahron Arendes, USS Nimitz Public Affairs NORTH ISLAND, Calif. (NNS) -- USS Nimitz (CVN 68) broke the Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) single-day blood donation record Feb. 20 at a blood drive to support service members deployed to the Middle East, military hospitals and clinics, and retirees, and their family members. According to Doreen Rekoski, ASBP blood donor recruiter, in one day, Nimitz Sailors donated 162 pints of blood, breaking the previous record of 133. The record for a two-day blood drive is 204 pints. "The one-day drive...

Colo. Blood Drive Offers Free Beer October 27, 2003 07:44 AM EST DURANGO, Colo. - Sounds like a fair trade: blood for beer. United Blood Services of Durango, Colo., held an unusual blood drive this weekend. Donors got a free pint of beer for a pint of blood. Four area breweries took part in the promotion. People from the blood bank got into the spirit of the season, by dressing in Halloween costumes including vampires. There was a little more at stake for the brewers than just civic pride. The owner of the brewery that collected the least amount of...

LANDSTUHL, Germany — The war may be officially over, however the demand for blood continues. A blood drive Wednesday at the Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, home of Europe’s Armed Services Blood Program, was one of many the group organizes each year. The need for blood varies from week to week, but according to Capt. Angel Colon, chief of the U.S. Army Europe Blood Donor Center, the supply is always in need of replenishment. “We’re always in dire need of blood, whether it’s contingency time or peacetime,” Colon said. “Unless we get regular donations, when things come up such as...

The U.S. military has a critical need for Type O blood donors to help save the lives of battlefield injury victims. "Type O donors are the first line of defense for trauma victims," said Air Force Lt. Col. Ruth Sylvester, director of the Armed Services Blood Program, according to a news release from the Army Surgeon General's office. Sylvester explained that until a blood type can be verified, Type O blood is used to keep trauma victims alive. In an emergency, a battlefield injury victim can require more than 40 units of blood. "Once their blood type is determined, type-specific...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2003 – The Armed Services Blood Program needs eligible Type O blood donors to support ongoing military operations worldwide and to replenish the military's frozen blood reserves. "Type O donors are the first line of defense for trauma victims. Until a blood type can be verified, Type O blood is used to keep trauma victims alive," said Air Force Lt. Col. Ruth Sylvester, Armed Services Blood Program director. "Once their blood type is determined, type-specific blood is transfused. But without Type O blood available, many patients would never make it until the test results came back." A...

As was posted a few days ago, the military contracted with ABC and ARC to supply them with blood if needed. As of Friday afternoon, they have asked the blood centers for blood. Please call your local blood center and make an appointment, especially if you are O negative. The supply must be steady, not all at once. LL