Quote:
Originally posted by chilicheese01
This is so uninformed. MSM is the group that is most affected by HIV. Plus HIV tests are not always correct and the virus can be undetectable even after transmission. I've read that approx. 15% of gay MSM in the United States have HIV, a much larger percent than any other group. And it's evident because they account for a majority of new HIV infections every year. It's not homophobic, it's done for the safety of other people in society who use donated blood.
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Modern HIV tests are over 99.7% effective in indicating presence of the virus, which is literally exceptional. The prevalence of HIV in this group, in addition, decreases with every generation, as indicated by the CDC. There is no reason to discriminate against MSMs who do not have, and/or have never been in sexual contact with someone else who has, the virus.
I'll also note here that making this an HIV issue exclusively is also a faulty position to take, because blood donations carry other medical risks as well; it's been suggested by data that "promiscuous" heterosexual men carry more risk as donors than gay or bisexual men, but there seems to be no imperative to restrict their donating abilities. There is a wide shortage of donated blood relative to the ideal minimum, a shortage exacerbated by the fact that gay men cannot donate.
There is approximately zero reason to restrict MSMs from donation in 2014.
Just dumb