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Are you a donor?

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David In Indy:

--- Quote from: Snavel del Snuit on June 03, 2007, 03:13:43 am ---Really? That's crazy! Everybody who signs up to donate blood gets the same tests, right?

--- End quote ---

Maybe this will help explain things Melissa...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18827137/

It's just the way things are around here, I guess.  :(

opinionista:

--- Quote from: David on June 02, 2007, 11:16:52 pm ---Yes, I am a donor, Melissa. But I've been told they sometimes won't take organs from gay people. I know they don't want our blood. I went down to donate blood on 9/11 and I was told I couldn't.

If they don't want our blood, they probably don't want our organs either.

--- End quote ---

This is so ridiculous. But considering it was approved by the Reagan administration, it's not surprising. They not only refused to acknowledge the presence of the epidemic when it was already killing hundreds of people, they also blamed it on the gay community.

Anyway, how do they know you're gay? I mean do they actually ask for your sexual orientation when you offer to donate blood? I thought that was private!

JCinNYC2006:
I've never tried to donate blood myself, but my understanding is that if you're a man, they ask you if you've had sex with a man in the last like 20 years or so.  If you say yes, bu-bye.  Since I work in HIV and have had some patients who say they were infected via a transfusion, I do realize how important it is to screen as well as possible.  But the screening should come from the test itself, not some arbitray, discriminatory policy.  Imagine all the blood that's not going to use because of this biased policy. 

Juan

Penthesilea:
That's almost three different topics here.

First, the Dutch show: I find it absolute horrendous and sick. The end does not justify the means. I don't believe in the pretent "good deed" to bring attention to the topic - but even when I give the producers the benefit of the doubt, it remains sick.

Second: donating organs: Yes, I am a donor. Once I'm dead, they can take everything they can still use, I don't care.

Third: donating blood: I don't donate blood, simply because I have a weak circulation.

Are gay men allowed to donate blodd? I got curious and looked up the situation in Germany: in Germany, gay men can't donate blood either. The list of people barred from donating blood is long:

Persons

* older than 60, if they want to donate for the first time
* older than 68
* younger than 18
* weighing less than 100 pounds
* pregnant women
* women breastfeeding a child
* with HIV/AIDS
* with frequently changing sexual partners
* gay and bisexual men
* drug users
* who were in jail (no matter how long and how long ago)
* who were in Great Britain longer than 6 months between 1980 and 1986 (Creutzfeld-Jacob's disease)
* who had diarrhea or fever during the last four weeks
* who had bigger (whatever that means) operations in the last 6 months
* who had a tooth extracted the last three weeks
* who got piercings or tats the last four months
* who took Antibiotics the last few weeks (don't know how many weeks)
* who take certain psychotropic drugs


--- Quote ---Anyway, how do they know you're gay? I mean do they actually ask for your sexual orientation when you offer to donate blood? I thought that was private!
--- End quote ---


The procedure is the following: everyone gets a card with those questions and has to check yes or no. Those who check yes on any question still get their blood drawn like all others (so that nobody notices), but the blood will either be thrown away or used for medical research, but not for transfusions.

At least the procedure is ok.

David In Indy:

--- Quote from: Penthesilea on June 04, 2007, 04:31:15 pm ---
The procedure is the following: everyone gets a card with those questions and has to check yes or no. Those who check yes on any question still get their blood drawn like all others (so that nobody notices), but the blood will either be thrown away or used for medical research, but not for transfusions.
At least the procedure is ok.


--- End quote ---

God, isn't that awful??  >:(

It's pretty much the same way here Chrissi. I tried to donate blood in Evansville on 9/11. But when they found out I was gay, they flat out told me they didn't want my blood. I felt like a complete and total fool.

It's really bad when they don't even want our blood during a national emergency.  :(

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