wow. I had no idea that gay men aren’t allow to give blood. Ridiculous. Shouldn’t all blood be screened carefully for diseases such as HIV? The gov’t makes it seem that ALL gay men have or at some point will acquire HIV. Discrimination much?
sarahMTSBB
I basically have a “fake masters” in blood banking and work as a Blood Bank Supervisor for a hospital lab and just wanted to explain why. The FDA made the ruling back when HIV was not understood and was both considered a “gay man’s disease” and the available testing was not very sensitive. Today, there is a ~1 in 2 million chance of contracting HIV through a blood transfusion because the testing has advanced to the point where there is a very narrow window period from infection to detection. I personally would not be the least bit concerned for my safety if the ban was lifted. However, many people don’t understand the stringent standards and processes that go into donor blood product collection and processing. I work with two experienced med techs who would consider not consenting to a transfusion if the ban was lifted!?! These people have medical backgrounds so think about how the average person might react! I imagine a huge public outcry if the FDA lifts the ban or even makes it a 1 year deferral post high risk behavior. It is ridiculous and only further limits our supply of blood products, but the decision is not nearly as discriminatory as many people believe. Change is just slow when it comes to our government and people’s perceptions…