Just below this blog entry is a copy of the June 10, 2010 article by Cheryl Wetzstein of The Washington Times where she writes about an upcoming meeting of a FDA panel to discuss changing the FDA's Blood Donor policy of not allowing gay men to donate blood. This article will be posted for the thirty days that I have permission to use this copyrighted material.
Why am I posting this? Because if you are like me you probably believe that you have a basic understanding of things. But today, in a casual exchange, I learned that gay men (MSM's - official FDA terminology) are not allowed to donate blood - permanently/period. Having good, clean, healthy blood makes no difference to the FDA if you are a MSM. Now if you are a female sexual partner of a MSM you get a one year deferral after your last exposure. On June 11, 2010 the FDA Committee voted 9-6 against lifting the ban.
I'm not against screening and testing blood and donors, in fact I assumed that donors were tested before donating. I just didn't know it was a straight man-test.Why do I get the feeling this ban on gay blood is another dirty little secret trying to be kept from us.
I have never donated blood, so I don't know the drill. In an effort to gain some knowledge I went to the website of the American Red Cross, the organization I think of first when it comes to blood donations. I found it very interesting that the FDA policy of not allowing gay (MSM) men to donate blood wasn't even mentioned on the website. In fact I couldn't find anything listed at all. Again is it a dirty little secret we don't want to talk about, just show up to "give the gift of life" and wait to be asked if you've had sex with a man.
Thank you for posting this Annie. It's just another decision made by homophobic people that has no, absolutely no science behind it. Test the damn blood FOR EVERYONE. That's the ONLY way to truly safeguard the blood supply. Making arbitrary rules about someone's perceived lifestyle and someone's ability to donate blood isn't science, it's shameful and potentially dangerous. My relatively rare B- blood type could very well help someone. In fact I found out about this rule at a blood drive for a little girl with some sort of cancer, and they were specifically looking for B- blood and they wouldn't even test mine let alone take it. And yet her condition was serious enough to post it all over town.
ReplyDeleteSOME THINGS I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. I DO KNOW THAT AIDS CAN BE WORST THAN CANCER [SUFFERING] BUT IF THEY CAN TEST ALL BLOOD AND FIND OUT IF THERE'S NO DISEASE IN IT, THAN WHY CAN'T THEY LET THE MEN GIVE BLOOD. THERE MUST BE A REASON BUT I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWERS. SOME THINGS CAN REALLY UPSET ME.
ReplyDeleteCASEY,IT MAY NOT BE IN MY LIFETIME BUT HOPEFULLY YOU MAY BE FREE SOMEDAY FROM ALL THE HATE.REMEMBER THERE'RE FOLK THAT DON'T FEEL LIKE THE HATE MONGERS. RIGHT ANNIE, MARE, KATIE,BETH, PLUS, LOTS OF MY STRAIGHT LADY FRIENDS. THERE OUT THERE YOU JUST DON'T HEAR ABOUT THE LOVING PEOPLE. MEN SEEM TO ME TO BE MORE THE HATE MONGERS THAN WOMEN. WE ARE ALL GUILTY OF SAYING SOMETHING WE REALLY DIDN'T MEAN AT THE TIME ONLY BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN HURT BY THAT PERSON. THEN YOU REGRET IT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. ALL YOU CAN DO IS SAY I'M SORRY. THEN IT'S THE OTHER PERSON PROBLEM IF HE WON'T ACCEPT YOUR WORDS. YOU TRIED TO GIVE BLOOD AT LEAST YOU TRIED. THE LESSON HERE IS YOU TRIED. SOMEDAY I HOPE THINGS WILL BE DIFFERANT.FOR RIGHT NOW ALL I CAN DO IS GIVE YOU A COMPUTER HUG AND LET YOU KNOW THAT SOMEONE CARES.
GRANNY
GRANNY
This isn't about someone blurting out something and then regretting it and saying your're sorry. This is about a department of the US government making arbitrary and discriminating rules about who can or cannot donate blood. Fear defines us and fears drives us and many times that fear is baseless.
ReplyDeleteYes, in 1977 the world was in a state of panic when the AID's epidemic broke out and they reacted in the only way they knew at the time with fear. A few years passed and people learned that you can't catch AIDs by breathing the air or a casual touch. But fear still drove society, people recoiled from what they considered the lepers of society.
Thirty-three years have passed, knowledge has been gained and changes need to be made. I don't have access to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) but there is an article on Donor Policies for Stem Cell Transplantation, apparently the same policy exists for stem cell donations.This is a quote from that article: "This lifelong ban from blood donation is neither medically nor scientifically supported and has been challenged by many leading authorities, including the American Medical Association,..."
The reason to ban gay donors is not medical or scientific, it's in a word just discriminatory. TEST BLOOD but not the patience of the American people.
Next time there is a catastrophe like 9/11 or a young child needs blood or a stem cell transplant to save its life and you look across the way and see a likely donor and he's gay pray the FDA has smartened up and changed its donor policy.
Annie -
ReplyDeleteI love that you're continuing the discussion about "MSM" being able to give blood. This is truly a topic that needs to be addressed by our nation and by giving it "legs" on your blog, I commend you.
Here's my two cents: HIV/Aids is no longer a disease affecting only gay men, as the face of this disease has crossed over to women (of all races) and men. The main reasoning behind "MSM" not being allowed to donate blood is because of the HIV virus (right?) but now that women are contracting and spreading the disease, wouldn't you think their blood is tainted as well?
Further, this ban of donation doesn't make sense considering they test all blood for the HIV pathogen. If HIV is being ruled out, then why can't "MSM" donate?
And if women who have sex with "MSM" are given a one year deferral, then why can't men be given that same waiting period if their blood doesn't contain any traces of disease?
THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY. IF THE BLOOD IS TESTED AND IT'S OK THEN USE IT. SOMEDAY THINGS WILL CHANGE BUT I DON'T KNOW IF IT WILL BE TODAY.
ReplyDeleteGRANNY.