bans on giving blood

[Adam]

apparently they're looking into changing this here

at the moment men who've had sex with other men are banned from giving blood, even if it was years ago and they used a condom or have since been tested negative for HIV

women who've had sex with bisexual men are also banned for 12 months

i understand some of the 12 month bans like for people who've recently had sex with someone who's been in an area with high number of HIV cases, but a lifetime ban for say a gay man who's been oin a monogamlus relationship for years, practices safe sex and has been tested negative for HIV? that seems stupid when there are plenty of sexually promiscuous women who are able to give blood

what do you think? is it about time this is reviewed or  is it justifiable? i'm all for temporary bans as a sort of quarantine in some circumstances, but i don't agree with blanket bans for life just for having gay sex etc

[Parts]

one year seems reasonable in all cases it's not like they don't test it anyways

[Celticgoddess]

That's ridiculous. There's no such thing here at all. There's reasons you can't donate but that's if you have communicable diseases and things of that nature. Banning due to gay sex is absurd.

['andersom']

Men who've had sex with other men can't give blood here either. There has been a formal complaint against this form of discrimination, but apparently the safety was considered so fragile with blood of gay men that event the committee for equal treatment could not do but to concur with the bloodbank.

Strange, that this is only true for men who've had sex with men.

[Phlexor]

Don't they discriminate against IV drug users and people who've had tattoos? Or is that just here. (or not, cos I don't give blood).

[earthboundmisfit]

Here it's the same with the man on man sex, and you can't give if you have had a tattoo in the last year.

[Phlexor]

Here it's the same with the man on man sex, and you can't give if you have had a tattoo in the last year.

So no man on man action with the midget from fantasy island then.

['andersom']

Don't they discriminate against IV drug users and people who've had tattoos? Or is that just here. (or not, cos I don't give blood).

I know that, at least in some areas of Australia,  people from the British Isles can't give blood either, because they may have been infected with mad cow disease. No idea how the Brits are seen in my country when it comes to giving blood.

[Christopher McCandless]

I think its outrageous that so much political capital is being spent on such a triviality. Seriously, some groups of people really need to live a little.

[SleepyDragon]

A blood donor might be deferred for any of several reasons: recent illness; exceeding permitted levels of prescribed medications; hypoglycaemia; pregnancy; too young/too old; underweight (you have to have sufficient blood volume to make a full donation); recent tattooing; and various other criteria, including the previously-mentioned male-to-male sexual contact and risk factors for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (i.e. having been treated with human growth hormone, or residence in the UK during specified period). The triage nurse, having assessed your statement of disclosure, may allow your donation to go ahead. However, all blood taken is tested, and only some components of it may be used.