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Poll: Should Gays be allowed to Donate blood?
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View Poll Results: Should Gays should be able to donate blood?
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Yes
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38 |
90.48% |
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No
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4 |
9.52% |
Member Since: 3/15/2010
Posts: 2,041
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Should Gays be allowed to Donate blood?
Quote:
Gay men will soon be able to give blood after a ban on them donating, dating back to the emergence of HIV and Aids in the mid-1980s, was scrapped by ministers.
The ban, which permanently prevented gay men from being donors, was lifted after a team of experts said it was no longer required to stop the spread of infection through blood.
The change – agreed by health ministers in England, Scotland and Wales – means gay men who have not had sex with another man for at least a year can donate from 7 November, as long as they have not taken part in other behaviour that might constitute a risk to patients receiving blood.
However, those who have had anal or oral sex with another man in the preceding 12 months, with or without a condom, will remain ineligible to join the 2 million people who already donate blood.
They have been put into the same category of risk as other groups such as sex workers, anyone who has had sex with a sex worker or intravenous drug-user in the past year, and women who have slept with a man who has had sex with another male.
The decision follows a review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (Sabto), which concluded that the latest evidence suggested the ban was no longer justified.
The controversial rule had long been criticised as outdated and discriminatory.
Organisations representing gay men and working with those with HIV or Aids welcomed the decision. "The removal of the ban to a one-year deferral is great news but it's going to leave some gay men frustrated that they still can't donate blood," said Carl Burnell, chief executive of the gay men's health group GMFA.
Anne Milton, the public health minister, said it was important that everyone complied with the donor selection criteria.
The Terence Higgins Trust also welcomed the change. "Thirty years on from the devastating, tragic and fatal arrival of HIV and AIDS there has been a growing sense that the lifetime ban was no longer 'right'," said Sir Nick Partridge, the chief executive. "Set against the hundreds of other deferral criteria, this was the one that drew the eye and seemed unfair and unreasonable."
The new regulations "will ensure the safety of the blood supply for all of us while also being fair and equal in their application", he added.
But veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said gay men who always used condoms should not be barred from donating.
"Although the new policy is a big improvement on the existing discriminatory rules, a 12-month ban is still excessive and unjustified," he said.
Sabto member Professor Deirdre Kelly said the recommendation took account of new data that had emerged since the body's last review in 2006, as well as scientific and technological advances.
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Source
With the other post regarding things being banned because of one's sexuality I would love to hear what you guys had to say about this?
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Member Since: 8/20/2011
Posts: 4,292
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Whoever voted no- I hope you're in DESPERATE need of blood one day and there is no one left to donate to you.
Maybe then you wont be picky about whos blood it is youre getting 
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Member Since: 10/8/2009
Posts: 35,527
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I cant be bothered reading all that, could someone explain in a nutshell why this is an issue? Is it something to do with AIDS?
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Member Since: 7/15/2010
Posts: 3,610
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Don't they test all the blood they receive? If not that's incredibly careless. Anyway, AIDS is one ****ing disease that more gay men have than straight. There are thousands of diseases out there. Just because a gay person CAN have a disease (even though straight people have it, too) doesn't mean the entire demographic should be banned from saving lives. Completely ridiculous. Test the ****ing blood and see that I DON'T HAVE AIDS.
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Member Since: 7/15/2010
Posts: 3,610
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Quote:
Originally posted by PopBoi
I cant be bothered reading all that, could someone explain in a nutshell why this is an issue? Is it something to do with AIDS?
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statistically, gay men are more at risk of having HIV.
Pretty stupid huh?
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Member Since: 8/21/2011
Posts: 7,654
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I think they can donate blood if they want like other people.
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Member Since: 11/6/2010
Posts: 27,791
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Yes 
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Banned
Member Since: 8/16/2011
Posts: 9,414
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Member Since: 3/5/2011
Posts: 30,130
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This poll should've been public to expose the people who said no...
All blood from donors goes through extremely thorough checks to ensure it is safe for use. Whether that blood came from a gay man or not, it goes through the same testing methods and, if it is cleared, is perfectly safe to use.
This was an incredibly intolerant law created when HIV/AIDS wasn't properly understood and has long needed to be changed.
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Member Since: 10/8/2009
Posts: 35,527
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Quote:
Originally posted by Wick
statistically, gay men are more at risk of having HIV.
Pretty stupid huh?
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REALLY? 
Like someone above said, as long as the blood is tested (which it should be) then there is no risk at all, unless people think gay blood is infected or something.
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Originally posted by GotMyBlueprint
no sorry
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Why? I'm not attacking, I'm just curious
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Member Since: 8/30/2011
Posts: 1,960
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Not all gays have AIDS. And not all people who have AIDS are gay. So... that is an irrelevant point.
Plus, blood is ALWAYS tested before it's ever sent to hospitals for use.
And I am just curious: To the people who said no... Why? (as other people have said, I'm not here to attack, I'm just curious)
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Member Since: 8/19/2011
Posts: 2,528
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what if we infect them with gayness?
duh!
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Member Since: 3/3/2011
Posts: 23,567
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Who cares if gay men are at greater risk for HIV? The blood is all tested before it's actually used anyway.
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Member Since: 12/28/2010
Posts: 26,529
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the people who voted no are just 
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Member Since: 4/21/2010
Posts: 11,153
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Of course yes.
I think they/we have the same rights as straight people
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Member Since: 7/14/2009
Posts: 22,692
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Since the blood is tested, it shouldn't matter.
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Member Since: 7/22/2010
Posts: 16,134
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In America, any man who's slept with another man, ever, is still barred from donating blood.
It's blatantly discriminatory. Straight people can have AIDS too. All blood is tested for any possible disease before it's used. So there's NO reason for it.
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Member Since: 3/4/2011
Posts: 4,178
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The reason there's a ban on gay men donating isn't discriminatory in nature, but simply because it can take up to three months for someone who has been infected with HIV to show up as HIV positive on an HIV test. Most tests detect HIV by reacting to the antibodies in the bloodstream that one's body begins to produce after being infected with HIV. Gay men are a high-risk group for HIV transmission. There is simply no efficient way to conclusively say that a gay man is HIV- negative unless they have been celibate for three months before donating blood. Then those that draw blood can conclusively determine that material to be HIV negative.
So no one is out to hate on the gays, it's just in the best interest of those receiving the blood or plasma transfusions.
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Member Since: 3/4/2011
Posts: 4,178
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Quote:
Originally posted by Twai
In America, any man who's slept with another man, ever, is still barred from donating blood.
It's blatantly discriminatory. Straight people can have AIDS too. All blood is tested for any possible disease before it's used. So there's NO reason for it.
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Yes, but all HIV tests are not conclusive. It can take up to three months post-exposure for blood to show the antibodies that would prompt a positive HIV test result. Thus, it's possible that one person might donate blood that would not be reactive on a test yet (they haven't started producing HIV antibodies) but contains the HIV virus that would still transmit the disease.
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Member Since: 1/13/2010
Posts: 5,334
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Quote:
Originally posted by Beyoncé_On_ Top
I think they can donate blood if they want like other people.
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Only if they lie about being gay
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