UK Bloody Bigots: The National Blood Service Claims It Wants to Protect Patients From HIV, But Its Indiscriminate Ban on Gay Donors Is Flawed

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12/2/2008

It is World AIDS Day and many gay people overseas are donating blood. Encouraged to donate by their national blood services, they are doing their civic duty, alongside their heterosexual families and friends, to help ensure that there are plentiful blood supplies for patients and accident victims who need emergency transfusions.

But this is not happening in the UK. Gay blood has been officially declared queer, tainted and a menace to the health of the nation. Gay and bisexual men are banned as blood donors by the National Blood Service (NBS).

I'm surprised the UK still doesn't test blood directly for the virus, rather than using the older, less precise test for antibodies.  It seems penny wise, pound foolish.

However, it appears that the US may finally abandon its lifetime ban on blood donations by any guy who has ever had sex with another guy.

Quote from: Bay Area ReporterThe lifetime ban on gay men donating blood may be eased to a 12-month deferral if scientific evidence presented at a March 8 workshop in Bethesda, Maryland is turned into policy guidance by the Food and Drug Administration. All of the major players in the blood products industry now support that position.

http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=660

Canada has the same outdated policy. I've donated blood from both sides of the fence now, and it's ridiculous how the questions don't accurately reflect risk factors for either gender.

Women get asked if they've had sex with someone who's been with a prostitute or IV drug user. Yeah, like they're going to be told that. How about asking them if they've had unprotected sex outside a long term relationship where both have been tested?

Men get asked if they've had sex with another man since 1978. I guess because there are so many cases of the virus lying dormant for 30 years. 

Dennis