The time has come to change a policy that imposes a lifetime ban on donating blood for any man who has had gay sex since 1977, 18 senators said Thursday.
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comSenators: Lift ban on gay men donating blood
Seeded on Thu Mar 4, 2010 3:21 PM EST (msnbc.com)
— Filed under: health, barack-obama, more-health-news, john-kerry, public-health, al-franken, bernie-sanders, roland-burris, russ-feingold, carl-levin, kirsten-gillibrand, tom-harkin, richard-durbin, michael-bennet, frank-lautenberg, sherrod-brown, mark-begich, maria-cantwell, mark-udall, sheldon-whitehouse, daniel-akaka, blood-donation, margaret-hamburg, robert-casey
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How about loud mouth Kerry getting the first transfusion? All talk and no action.
Hey MH-Vet! How about no one gives you blood when you badly need a transfusion and let you die ?? I guess you would rather die than take "gay blood". In case you have concerns about safety, it is very straightforward to screen out any diseases in any blood these days.
A vet that is also a pussy. Fantastic.
You do realize ALL blood is screened before being released? If we're currently ineligible, then logic should tell you any tainted blood comes from YOU people.
Get a pair.
If they are worried enough to test twice, wouldn't just make sense to not take the chance on the tainted blood in the first place? And letting HIV positive people immigrate is just stupid! We know HIV positive people are high risk, and high cost. Everyone in this country is worried about health care cost, so why would we let these people come here? Wake up and smell the coffee. We are so worried about political coorrectness that we forget there is more than one deminsion to every object. I don't want a tainted transfusion, and I sure as hell don't want to pay for some elses doctor and hospital bills. Aids is not as dangerous as it once was, due more to mutation than our treatment, but Americans should not have to pay to treat foreigners with Aids, and we shouldn't have to worry about getting aids from our blood supply.
Bud: Um ... actually, mutations make things MORE dangerous, not less. Aids and HIV are understood better now and medications to help have been found: THAT is why it's less dangerous, not because of a ban on "gay blood." It is FACT that HIV can be screened in blood ... so a "ban" on gays, who are no more likely to get aids these days than anyone else, is stupidity at it's finest. Or do you believe that getting blood donated from a gay person will give YOU "the gay"?!?
Thats it we are doomed -
With all the #((*@&&^@*()#_#_)&@^@^^@ going on in todays world and inside our own borders -
Sen. John "LERCH" Kerry has nothing better on his plate than to try this crap.
This is proof that these politicians should be part-time - no need to be paying the insane incomes, benefits and retirement packages.
Isn't there some phrase somewhere that goes something like-it is better to err on the side of caution ???
No credible evidence ?????? Great let's let them give blood and then when we have the evidence we can then change policy.
This is the kind of stuff that just makes you want to rip your hair out !! I absolutlely feel like I ma stuck in a Forrest Gump world- and Forrest is running the show !!
Michael #64
"This is the kind of stuff that just makes you want to rip your hair out !!" *** Not me, but...you go ahead, if it makes you feel better, Forrest.
This is the real issue - Fear, ignorance and childish HATE
Doctors do not diagnose AIDS in straight patients because they are just as prejudiced as the general public so the myth grows that it is a gay disease - it isn't (and globally over 90% of cases are heterosexual)
These laws were never about science but HATE and fear
Imagine the poor vampires reading all this fear.
note: just gay MEN are banned not gay women. this has nothing to do with saftey or science its just poorly masked fear, same as some posters on this board.
I donate blood regularly and I've always found that question very odd. How does sexual orientation cause someone to become automatically medically ineligible for donating blood ? I am sure that the exact suite of tests to screen out any diseases that are performed on "heterosexual" blood will work on the "homosexual" blood. Its amazing how some of these out-dated rules and laws are still left in the books.
Really. By reading some of the comments so far, you'd think that no straight people have HIV/AIDS.
I gave blood in 1997 and found out about the gay ban and it had been going on since 1977? I was pretty upset as a gay man set up the blood drive, as there was a vast shortage. He told me he could not give blood and it made absolutely no sense to me. I am so happy someone got their head out of their posterior and came back around.
I hope this effort is successful. With science improving as it is, simply being gay should not keep you from donating blood. There are plenty of hetros out there who have equally as high of a chance to have HIV as this antiquated policy claims gay people have. If you are a healthy human, you should be able to give blood. Period.
I wonder what the percentage of gays give blood? Is the gay community just out to prove how stupid they are? What is the point of increasing the risk by even .000001%.
Well, by the same token, if you've ever been bitten by a mosquito, there is a probability that you have had malaria and that increases the risk by a small amount. The smart way is not to eliminate all risk but to manage the risk with proper mitigating procedures such as testing the blood after the donation. The percentage of donors is kinda irrelevant when you are in the hospital and need just that one unit of blood.
I didn't think I'd have to scroll down to far to see the first asinine comment from a retard. ALL blood is screened and since gay people are currently ineligible, the tainted blood that does show up......
...comes from people on YOUR side of the fence.
Grow up.
Ron, thanks! I had a father-in-law who was petrified he'd get blood from a black person when he had a heart attack. It made me so mad that when I saw him after he returned home with a good bill of health I said, "Hey Arthur, isn't your hair turning a bit curly?" He got mad at me and I admit I was inappropriate but I also told him that his attitude and behavior was unacceptable and he should be happy if some black person's blood happen to be the blood that saved his life. People, shish!
really? the article is about how Gay's are barred from giving blood then you want to chastise them for not giving blood? and your trying to call someone else stupid? Pot meet Kettle.
John Kerry is a freakin' idiot! He doesn't know spit except how to cater to scumbags and worthless causes. He's a sheer fraud. God, why in the Hell is he still even in office???
As to gays giving their blood. Geez, I've never seen anyone who gave blood tested before they actually gave. The stupid nurses just had them fill out a questionaire. It's all BS!!! Have HIV or any other STD . . . no problem because they ain't gonna' test you beforehand.
.....and the fact that ALL donated blood is tested before being used makes no difference, right?
You're a shining example.
Why take the chance? There are enough "tainted blood" scares out there already, why increase the chance of an accident? I know gay men who are HIV positive, and through good medical care they have remained healthy for over 10 years. BUT, do I want a tranfusion from them? NO!
HIV-positive blood is not used. They test everyone blood. And, BUD, in case you missed that day of school, HIV isn't sexual preference-specific. Anyone can become infected. This knowledge should have prompted them to drop this ban long ago. Sexual preference in no no determines the type of person the donor is or the risk of contracting the disease.
The number one group of people getting infected since 2000 are white, middle class women in committed relationships. The theory is that "down-low" is causing the spread now. Homophobia really isn't something we can afford.
Not to mention that we are at a massive blood shortage right now. We need everything we can get.
urjoknright
John Kerry is a freakin' idiot! He doesn't know spit except how to cater to scumbags and worthless causes. He's a sheer fraud. God, why in the Hell is he still even in office??? *** My guess is...because he got elected.
What's your guess?
Ray Kaye, The posters freaking out are pretty ignorant on the facts. Just think though because of the ban thousands could no longer use the excuse of AIDS tainted blood giving them the disease. It was a quite popular excuse for a while and what about the stories (Reader's Digest is my guess) with article headlines, "My husband gave me AIDS"...humm there is fodder for wonder.
I really hope this isn't only politically motivated...I really really do.
How could this be politically motivated? Do you think Kerry and the O-bots would use this to make health care look like a more pressing problem? Hell yes they would! this is obviously political. Wake up!
Maybe you're right, Bud, maybe the timing of this lift is strategic. But what difference does it make when it should have never been enacted in the first place?
How in the world can you respect these Wacko Senators that is up in Washington!!! I thought that they was crazy, but I didn't think that they was this crazy. Looks like God is going to judge our nation with the other nations, " not that he is already judging because of the abominations like this!!!!" Vote Kerry out of office for starts, then start voting the others out. And Kerry "claims he is Catholic," what a bunch of crap!!!! This is just nasty, thinking that your getting blood from a homosexual.
Right, like we don't donate now and just lie on the form....
Wow. Blocked tt904. Look up the man who discovered the transfusion process.
tt904: Catholicism has NOTHING to do with allowing gays to give blood. NO religion has anything to do with it. It was banned because people didn't understand how HIV worked or even what it was. Now we do, and we can screen for it: in point of fact, we already do. But lets put that aside. You get creeped out by the mere thought of getting blood from a homosexual? How completely homophobic of you. Do you honestly believe that there's ANY difference between "straight" blood and "gay" blood? On what, EXACTLY, do you make that assertion? Point me to the SCIENCE where this type of thinking is validated. I would not be at all surprised to find that you believe that if you get blood that came from a gay person, you could catch "the gay." LOL.
And we let people like you VOTE? OMG.
I donated blood regularly for 10 years while I served in the military. I also had multiple sexual partners, male and female during that time and lied on my blood donor form about my male partners. After I got out of the military and away from "Don't ask Don't tell" I tried to give blood again. I checked the yes box for having a male partner and found out I had just put my name on the list of those who could not donate. I am a healthy HIV- prior donor who had been in a committed monogamous relationship for 5 years prior to that day, which means I had a 0% chance of contracting HIV or any other STD. The problem here is that anyone who has had more than one opposite sexual partner in the prior year could still give blood even though they would have a much higher chance of having an STD than me. This ban makes no sense, I could have donated gallons of A+ blood over the years. It's definitely time to end this nonsense homophobic ban.
I heard that the don't ask don't tell is being phased from the military, how about using the phrase when giving blood? Maybe we can get millions of new doners.
I doubt it would make much difference given that gays are less then 5% of the population.
That's one in 20, given the current population of the united states is roughly 300 000 000 people that is 15 000 000 people...that's a lot of people. raise that to the upper end estimate of 10-15% and then you get from 30 000 000-45 000 000 people. That's a lot of people.
My God just how stupid are these pols? Tell ya what. Label it "gay blood" and give it only to self-proclaimed liberals and I'm fgine with it!
Well, that would solve everything!! (sarcasm)
How stupid are the pols? I could counter with how stupid it is to believe the ban on gay blood has any logical or scientific value. Do you honestly believe there's any difference between "straight" blood and "gay" blood?!? I suppose you also believe that ONLY gay people get HIV? With the shortage of blood they have these days, to deny anyone of giving blood, as long as they are healthy, is the very epitome of stupidity.
It's really sad how rampant that bigotry and ignorance still are in the 21st century! Too bad that they can't screen for that!
What a concept, Bartman, ignorant screenings would be divine and leave no doubt. Guess then they'd have to wear a badge.
That's true but then we would just get concrete proof about what we already know is that their are to many flippin idiots in this world who just need to mind their own business instead of opening their intelligence void traps.
guess i won't give blood anymore til it's changed
urjokingright - i really hope you were joking with that comment you made - or are you just plain ignorant.
Go ahead and lift the ban.....no one in this country (outside my immediate family) will ever see a drop of my blood. I was a faithful giver until I was insulted by this biggoted, short sighted political move. I don't care who has to die....my blood....my family only. This gay man has been tested regularly since 1982...my blood is clean and now...no one can have ANY.
Way, Peter. We'll get a "Bigot" test going on and they can't have any transfusions with real blood, only synthetic blood because we certainly wouldn't want to offend their sensibilities…such as an innate lust for dumb.
I am confused.
Why is any one upset about this ban being lifted? Would you rather have a blood transfusion from an STD-ridden prostitute or a run-of-the-mill gay citizen who goes about their business like every other American you know? Give me a break. They're human red blood cells. What in the world difference does it make where they came from so long as they aren't contaminated? Are you all that stupid? Did you ever open your elementary school biology book?
I find it amusing that 99% of the posters against this ban lift mention "God" in their post. I wonder how much of their fear is rooted in logic and science and how much is in that trusty Bible of theirs that never leaves their nightstand?
You're all lunatics. You think the end of the world is coming? I blame all of you nutcase religious zealots for hampering the advance of science, which is the ONLY savior the world will ever know. If you want a world where people can be shunned for superficial, illogical reasons, go back to the middle ages. The world today doesn't have time for halfwits or any one who would hinder the advance of man for personal, religious reasons. Get your heads around it, it is in your face every minute of every day, the world is not going anywhere as long as we cling to the past. If you're so afraid of change, maybe you should just resort to a troglodytic lifestyle, because everything that is alive changes. What was once accepted as the norm isn't always going to be the norm.
I am sorry for being inflammatory, but this is nothing more than blatant ignorance and blind hatred. Anyone who is against this lifted ban is not scared of tainted blood, they are merely homophobic, brainwashed lemmings. It's immoral, disgusting, and it's time we grow up and stop acting barbaric in the name of antiquated, unsubstantiated claims shoved down our throats by a 2000 year old piece of scripture which only had purpose when man was too rudimentary to understand oppression.
We, as human beings, are above this.
I am sorry you do not believe in God!!
I for one will never accept blood from anyone. No matter what!! And you homos can keep your blood!!
Lewis, Disrespect is obviously the only reason for your comment. You certainly don't have to like someone but show a bit of dignity and be respectful. You sound like a spoiled twelve year-old not invited to join the team.
I didn't know that there was a band on "gay" man donating blood! I believe "gay" men or women should be able to donate blood, but we need to know by testing that they aren't HIV positive.
We all need to be tested!
I would not like to have blood from anyone who was promiscuous, gay or straight. You can screen blood 50 times in one month, but there still is a latent period where it will not show up even if the person has it.
If I was not sure if I could be HIV+, I would not donate blood.... and that means even one session of unprotected sex within the last 6 months. I would expect the same from anyone else.
jennyct, It certainly isn't too much to ask and I believe most of us feel the same way.