End discrimination against gay men giving blood

End discrimination against gay men giving blood

“Female hysteria,” an affliction exclusive to women, was a common medical diagnosis for hundreds of years. As recently as the 1950s, medical people used the label “refrigerator mother” for women whose children were diagnosed with autism or schizophrenia. (The assumption was that autistic behaviors stemmed from the mothers’ “emotional frigidity.”)

These are just two of the more bizarre theories, borne of ignorance or fear or both, that once guided medical practitioners but have thankfully been debunked.

Not so in every case, however. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban that prohibits gay men from being blood donors — first implemented in the 1980s during the height of the AIDS scare — remains intact. That, even though we’ve come light-years since the ’80s in terms of screening for tainted blood.

There’s another reason why this discrimination is so senseless. When was the last time you heard that the nation’s blood supplies were flush or even just adequate? The truth is, there is a critical shortage of blood. Disqualifying a large segment of potential donors puts the lives of many critically ill individuals in jeopardy.

This is no endorsement for the gay lifestyle. Rather, it’s a reality check. No less an authority than the American Red Cross, the keeper of America’s blood, has expressed disappointment “that the FDA has not chosen to make changes” in its donor policy that continues to bar any male donor who has had sex with another man even once since 1977. Thirty-six years ago. Those men, says the FDA, are at increased risk of infection by the AIDS virus, which in fact can be transmitted to others in blood transfusions.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer_news/opinion/end-discrimination-against-gay-men-giving-blood/article_a2133597-deac-54a1-b7c5-caf2897d8214.html