Should The Red Cross Take Blood From Gay Men?
SodaHead Living
2010/06/09 20:00:00
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155 votes
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The Red Cross is being asked to explain why it is now easier for people who have been pierced, tattooed or had acupuncture to become blood donors, but not gay men.
The organization is allowing such people to donate blood six months after their procedure -- down from 12 months -- under new donation guidelines, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. But the guidelines for gay men donating blood stipulate they cannot be donors within one year of male-to-male intercourse.
We weren’t sure if the U.S. rules were the same, so we checked it out. The Red Cross Web site says “You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV. You are at risk for getting infected if you:
Have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor
Are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
Have ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977
Have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above
Received clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
Were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977.
Since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or
Had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries."
Tasmanian gay and lesbian rights spokesman Rodney Croome says this is discriminatory, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"The fact the Red Cross is willing to review its current donor guidelines for people who have piercings and acupuncture and tattoos, but not review guidelines when it comes to gay blood donation, really does suggest the Red Cross is, at best, engaged in some fairly arbitrary decision-making, or at worst, is just downright homophobic," he said.
The organization is allowing such people to donate blood six months after their procedure -- down from 12 months -- under new donation guidelines, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. But the guidelines for gay men donating blood stipulate they cannot be donors within one year of male-to-male intercourse.
We weren’t sure if the U.S. rules were the same, so we checked it out. The Red Cross Web site says “You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV. You are at risk for getting infected if you:
Have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor
Are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
Have ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977
Have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above
Received clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
Were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977.
Since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or
Had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries."
Tasmanian gay and lesbian rights spokesman Rodney Croome says this is discriminatory, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"The fact the Red Cross is willing to review its current donor guidelines for people who have piercings and acupuncture and tattoos, but not review guidelines when it comes to gay blood donation, really does suggest the Red Cross is, at best, engaged in some fairly arbitrary decision-making, or at worst, is just downright homophobic," he said.
Read More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/09/2922...
Top Opinion
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Conservative in California 2010/06/09 15:40:57This has nothing to do with discrimination. It's about protecting blood supply.
+21No system is perfect. The vast majority of AIDS patients in America are gay men. Why would anyone (besides a liberal) want to put millions of Americans at ANY risk of contracting a deadly disease if it can be avoided. Sorry, but satisfying the whims of the gay lobby in America is not a good enough reason to put all Americans at risk of death.
This myth that AIDS is a gay disease needs to die. ANYONE, ANYONE could actively be carrying HIV.
Or maybe make it easy for everyone. Since no one can ever be sure, just don't take any blood.
If the main demographic of HIV/AIDs sufferers are gay males it makes sense that they would put that guideline into place, even if it doesn't seem very palatable. I don't know if it is different in the US, but in Britain the blood is tested before it goes anywhere for such diseases anyway, so the practice is that with that testing in place anyone who has sex with anyone is under the same guidelines.
On the face of it, it would seem discriminatory, and I can see why the gay community would be offended, but at the same time if it was homophobia (again, going on British law) that's a criminal offense to discriminate so if it was for anything but medical reasons then the Red Cross would be prosecuted... ?
Idiots playing with logic is worse than children playing with guns.
stop!
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