Bloody gays

[Wiccan_Child]

In the UK, men who have sex with men (MSM) cannot donate blood. The official reason is that MSM are at a significantly higher risk of having HIV, to the extent it's actually better to not take any of their blood whatsoever.

My question is: is this ethical? Is it ethical to refuse the blood of MSM for the above reason? Is it ethical to do it out of homophobia? Should we ban other demographic groups for being potential threats (e.g., those who have lived in sub-Saharan Africa)?

 

[Hentenza]

I couldn't donate blood for over 25 years because I was stationed in Germany in the early eighties and ate German meat.

 

[FlamingFemme]

In the UK, men who have sex with men (MSM) cannot donate blood. The official reason is that MSM are at a significantly higher risk of having HIV, to the extent it's actually better to not take any of their blood whatsoever.

My question is: is this ethical? Is it ethical to refuse the blood of MSM for the above reason? Is it ethical to do it out of homophobia? Should we ban other demographic groups for being potential threats (e.g., those who have lived in sub-Saharan Africa)?

Great thread title.

In the US, at least as far as I know, MSM aren't prohibited from giving blood, but they are discouraged from doing it. I don't think it is ethical, in my not-so-humble opinion. Especially for those MSM who are monogamous, have never been promiscuous (or, at least not more promiscuous than your average straight person), and are in a long-term relationship. Plus, don't they test all blood these days for communicable disease? Doesn't that pretty much remove the risk of contaminated blood? I've never been able to understand this school of thought, to be perfectly honest.
And it is definitely not ethical to prohibit MSM from donating blood soley on the basis of homophobia.

 

[GigageiTsula]

That's interesting. I've never heard of that before.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

I couldn't donate blood for over 25 years because I was stationed in Germany in the early eighties and ate German meat.

Wow. What was wrong with German meat?

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Great thread title.

I'm rather proud of it .

In the US, at least as far as I know, MSM aren't prohibited from giving blood, but they are discouraged from doing it. I don't think it is ethical, in my not-so-humble opinion. Especially for those MSM who are monogamous, have never been promiscuous (or, at least not more promiscuous than your average straight person), and are in a long-term relationship. Plus, don't they test all blood these days for communicable disease? Doesn't that pretty much remove the risk of contaminated blood? I've never been able to understand this school of thought, to be perfectly honest.

You'll never be able to remove the risk completely; if even a single virus gets through, that's it, the recipient is a goner. But even is some MSM are monogamous etc, that demographic group still has a higher risk of being HIV+ than those who aren't MSM. That's why the ban various other groups from giving blood.

 

[Ryal Kane]

Wow. What was wrong with German meat?

I'm guessing it was something like the 'mad cow' outbreak in the Uk in the 90's. Here in NZ, if you spent more than 6 months in the UK during that time then you're barred from donating blood. The prions that cause Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease can be in your system for decades without symptoms or being detected by tests.

We're pretty cautious here in NZ, which often seems overboard to me but I'm guessing it's because they ran the numbers rather than any particular homophobia. Having sex with another man bars you from doating for five years. A woman who has sex with a man who's slept with another man is barred for a year. I understand that HIV often doesn't show up in testing if you're recently infected but the specific male/male sex rule does seem to a bit overboard.

I would think that, if concern about infections is so prevalent that blood donations would be a good way to identify those people who are infected. (If diseases turn up in donated blood they tell you)

 

[Hentenza]

Wow. What was wrong with German meat?

I don't really remember but the exception still exists today. Here is the faq page for a Houston blood bank. Under "I've traveled outside of the US" they state:

Europe No deferral unless stayed for more than 6 months associated with the military between 1980 and 1996 or stayed for more than 5 years from 1980 to the present


Frequently Asked Questions About Donating Blood - Commit for Life - giveblood.org



It does look like it was Europe as a whole not just Germany. I'll see if I can find additional information.

 

[Maren]

Great thread title.

In the US, at least as far as I know, MSM aren't prohibited from giving blood, but they are discouraged from doing it. I don't think it is ethical, in my not-so-humble opinion. Especially for those MSM who are monogamous, have never been promiscuous (or, at least not more promiscuous than your average straight person), and are in a long-term relationship. Plus, don't they test all blood these days for communicable disease? Doesn't that pretty much remove the risk of contaminated blood? I've never been able to understand this school of thought, to be perfectly honest.
And it is definitely not ethical to prohibit MSM from donating blood soley on the basis of homophobia.

Actually, the are barred from donating in the US (for one example, see the FAQ that Hentenza posted on blood donations).

I'm rather proud of it .


You'll never be able to remove the risk completely; if even a single virus gets through, that's it, the recipient is a goner. But even is some MSM are monogamous etc, that demographic group still has a higher risk of being HIV+ than those who aren't MSM. That's why the ban various other groups from giving blood.

By this logic, we should deny Blacks the right to donate blood, and possibly even all non-whites. Something like 97% of all who have HIV/AIDS are non-whites, with the majority (particularly in the US) being Blacks (part of what makes D.C. the AIDS capital of the US). Of course, they won't ban Blacks from giving blood because that would be discrimination.

We should be smart about this, rather than playing off of peoples' fears, and ban people who are promiscuous rather than stereotyping entire groups of people.

 

[Chesterton]

My question is: is this ethical? Is it ethical to refuse the blood of MSM for the above reason? Is it ethical to do it out of homophobia? Should we ban other demographic groups for being potential threats (e.g., those who have lived in sub-Saharan Africa)?

Where I live you also can't give blood if you've ever injected yourself with drugs.

 

[keith99]

Actually, the are barred from donating in the US (for one example, see the FAQ that Hentenza posted on blood donations).



By this logic, we should deny Blacks the right to donate blood, and possibly even all non-whites. Something like 97% of all who have HIV/AIDS are non-whites, with the majority (particularly in the US) being Blacks (part of what makes D.C. the AIDS capital of the US). Of course, they won't ban Blacks from giving blood because that would be discrimination.

We should be smart about this, rather than playing off of peoples' fears, and ban people who are promiscuous rather than stereotyping entire groups of people.

Source?

I highly suspect the percentage given, and if true it is arrived at by including Africa, which has absolutely nothing to do with non-whites in America. BTW non-white is far different from black. The vast majority of the world is non-white.

 

[katautumn]

There are lots of factors that would disqualify someone from giving blood. I couldn't give blood six months after getting my nostril pierced or getting a tattoo. I've also been advised against giving blood because of my heart condition. I don't feel discriminated against. *shrugs*

 

[Wiccan_Child]

By this logic, we should deny Blacks the right to donate blood, and possibly even all non-whites. Something like 97% of all who have HIV/AIDS are non-whites, with the majority (particularly in the US) being Blacks (part of what makes D.C. the AIDS capital of the US). Of course, they won't ban Blacks from giving blood because that would be discrimination.

What's your source for saying most (50%+) HIV+ people in the US are black? I understand that 50% of women in sub-Saharan Africa are HIV+, and so it's possible that 97% of all HIV cases involve blacks.

We should be smart about this, rather than playing off of peoples' fears, and ban people who are promiscuous rather than stereotyping entire groups of people.

It's risky sexual behaviour that they're warding against: gay male penetrative sex is, at the end of the day, risky.

 

[yasic]

It's risky sexual behaviour that they're warding against: gay male penetrative sex is, at the end of the day, risky.

Should they, in that case, ban hetero couples who have had anal sex?

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Should they, in that case, ban hetero couples who have had anal sex?

Arguably, yes. Though heterosexual anal sex poses less of a HIV risk than homosexual anal sex, since the latter group already have a higher incidence of infection.

 

[Mling]

I'd be more offended, if they didn't also have ridiculously strict regulations in lots of other areas of sex and lifestyle.

I was shocked the first time somebody asked me if I'd exchanged sex for drugs in the past year.

 

[BigBadWlf]

Source?

I highly suspect the percentage given, and if true it is arrived at by including Africa, which has absolutely nothing to do with non-whites in America. BTW non-white is far different from black. The vast majority of the world is non-white.

The numbers are a bit exaggerated but the statement that most of the cases of HIV/AIDS in the United States are in minorities is accurate and can be substantiated by the CDC.

In the United Sates Racial minorities account for about 75% of all cases of HIV/AIDS and among these heterosexual contact and intravenous drug use are the primary modes of transmission

In the United States most of individuals infected with the HIV virus are people of color. African American’s having the highest infection rate followed by Hispanics. Black/African American men and women were also strongly affected and were estimated to have an incidence rate than was 7 times as high as the incidence rate among whites.

Worldwide non-whites account for 97% of all cases of HIV/AIDS Ref : World Health Organization

 

[Maren]

Source?

I highly suspect the percentage given, and if true it is arrived at by including Africa, which has absolutely nothing to do with non-whites in America. BTW non-white is far different from black. The vast majority of the world is non-white.

How about the CDC? And I was a bit off on percentage, it is 46% of all AIDS sufferers in the US are Black (they are 12% of the population), but more Blacks have AIDS than any other race in the US.

You are partially right about Africa skewing the numbers, in the US it is 71% of AIDS cases are among non-whites -- despite the fact that they only make up 33% or the population. And per the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, "Analysis of national household survey data found that more than 2% of Blacks in the U.S. were HIV positive, higher than any other group."

 

[katautumn]

Should they, in that case, ban hetero couples who have had anal sex?

I think there are restrictions on heterosexual people giving blood due to sexual choices. One is having unprotected sex with someone who has Hepatitis. Another is if you've had intercourse with a man who has ever engaged in sexual intercourse with another man or a person who has ever used injectable narcotics.

 

[Belk]

I don't really remember but the exception still exists today. Here is the faq page for a Houston blood bank. Under "I've traveled outside of the US" they state:

Europe No deferral unless stayed for more than 6 months associated with the military between 1980 and 1996 or stayed for more than 5 years from 1980 to the present


Frequently Asked Questions About Donating Blood - Commit for Life - giveblood.org



It does look like it was Europe as a whole not just Germany. I'll see if I can find additional information.

Huh! Never know that. I knew I could not donate because I had been in Kuwait but I did not realize about europe. I wonder if that is local or national?