"Don't ask, don't tell" blood donations???

[SpeedRacer 1]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4610196.stm

Speed Racer
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[ExAFO 0]

More reason for one's family to bank their own blood to be ready in case of an emergency/scheduled surgery.

But since all donated blood is screened for HIV amongst other pathogens, it shouldn't be a huge worry.

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[Nightingale 0]

The actions of the SA blood organization seem unreasonable, so I understand the protest. Gay men do not have the highest HIV infection rate in SA. Women aged 18-24 do. Therefore, the actions of the blood organization don't really make sense.

[Airman1270 0]

In the early-mid 1980's, when AIDS was generating headlines, my brother volunteered to donate blood. As the procedure was getting under way he leaned back and said, in his best "Fire Island" voice, "Oh, I went to a FABULOUS party last week..."

"Joey, have you every been in a Turkish prison?"

"Oh yeah, Homer, all the big industries are going gay. Steel, (several other examples), even...Broadway!"

Cheers,
Jon

[tigra 0]

Actually, I can't remember the last time I went to donate in Illinois and that question wasn't asked. They also ask about IV drug use, prostitution, travel outside the US and many more questions. Every year LifeSource adds more questions and more reasons to defer potential donors, but I don't see how that can be considered discrimination. Instead, it is an overreaction going back about 20 years ago when blood collection agencies failed to adequately screen blood donors and their product, resulting in people contracting HIV and hepatitis after receiving blood transfusions. It seems kind of odd that this is just now becoming an issue in SA when its been an issue here for 20 years or so.

And it IS a shame when you know there is a shortage, but they won't take your blood because of where you have travelled or your sexual orientation.

[kbordson 8]

I routinely donate and would accept blood if necessary, but it's concerns like that that make me hope that Hemopure gets approved soon

http://www.biopure.com/

[billvon 2,435]

> The actions of the SA blood organization seem unreasonable . . .

Hmm, they ask the same questions here. As I recall, the question is something like "have you had sex, even once, with a same-sex partner since 1982?" There are also questions about having sex with a prostitute, having sex for drugs, taking IV drugs, getting dura mater grafts etc.

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

Since I spent 3 months in England in 1992, I can't donate here in the U.S. anymore because one of the risk questions concerns living for a certain period in areas that have Mad Cow Disease (and the human variant, of course).

Since they believe the disease can be contracted and then be dormant for as many as 20 years, they put people like me on the permanent deferment list.

I spoke with a guy at the blood center here and he explained to me that in the U.K., they passed a regulation that domestic U.K. donations may not go to anyone under age 12 -- it's like a "protect the young generation in case we all die of mad cow disease" doomsday safeguard. I had been wondering if, like, everyone in the U.K. simply could not donate blood anymore. They can, but the donations go to the adult-aged folk. Blood for under-12 has to be imported from other places without the disease.

They don't really know (or won't say) definitively that blood can and does carry the pathogen (which they also can't positively identify) that causes vCJD.

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-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"