robb

Uh-huh, and if they said "No black blood" or "No jew blood" you'd feel the same about using FlyerTalk to promote it?

This is not about getting my own way. This thread is offensive every time it's bumped. Many universities and businesses are withdrawing support from blood drives for the very reason of the discriminatory nature of the deferral policy.

As others have pointed out, getting blood is a profitable and corporate thing. The entire system needs to be overhauled, and until it is, I don't think that FlyerTalk should be supporting it.

BTW, if you still think it's such a small percentage then understand that in 2005, the head of the New England Red Cross stated that "if half of the gay men who have been banned were to give blood, then we'd have no blood shortage."

This is about politics, not an artificial shortage of blood.

Clincher

No it is not a good and valuable thing. Maybe it was 50 years ago, if even then.

Do we have any doctors on the OMNI forum? Please voice up and confirm that modern technology greatly diminishes the value of a blood transfusion. The only force that has kept blood transfusions as a choice is the money it generates. Therefore, it is in the interests of those who make the money to make it sound like a good and valuable thing.

Thousands of educated doctors know that danger a blood transfusion presents:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/en...RVAbstractPlus

BenjaminNYC

Thank you for this voice of reason.

Occupationalhazard

Spare me the drama. If there were a rational basis for such exclusions, then I wouldn't have a problem with them. If we have arrived at a point at which there is no longer for gay men, then I am fine with the removal of the ban. *shrugs*

Question: do you think there should be *any* deferrals for the possible presence of blood borne pathogens?

First, I am not sure people have a "right not to be offended", and, second, if you find blood donation "offensive", I think you have a point, if you think that blood donation is a good thing, and gays should not be excluded from the pool of eligible donors, then, I'm sorry, but it very much smacks of, "Waah! It's my ball and I'm going home!"

I suspect there are other factors involved, i.e. Political correctness and pressure tactics.

Either you think there is value in donations or your do not. If, like Clincher, you do not, then say so. If you do, and then, AFAIAC, you don't have a leg to stand on.

O/H

dhammer53

I never expected this thread to turn into an Omni fight.

I just hope that those of you that think this thread is a waste of time, never need a pint of blood.

Rather than 'fight' on this thread, some of you need to write your Member of Congress or Senator. @:-)
Bring pressure on them to change the law (if this is your opinion).

notsosmart

Huh? Don't you know the First Immutable Law of OMNI? Any thread will degenerate into a bicker fest if it grows more than five pages, unless it's an OWOT thread.

JakiChan

I didn't say *all* straights are drunken frat boys. I'm just pointing out that the current restrictions would allow a promiscuous straight person, who has had multiple unsafe sexual encounters in the month prior to donating (and thus wouldn't show up on a standard HIV test) to donate, while prohibiting a man who has been celibate since 1990 (and tested multiple times since then) from donating. The logic escapes me.

It's behavior that causes STDs and not simply your sexual preference. The current policy speaks less of safety and more of bigotry.

I think there should be a ban for people who have unprotected sex outside of a committed relationship. *THAT* is logical.

Giving blood is a good thing and I encourage people to do it. However, when presented with blood drives I prefer to make sure that the people who can donate are reminded of the institutionalized homophobia present in the current system.

BenjaminNYC

Why?

Bundy Bear

I gave blood again today; it took almost 2 hours; they were so slow; partly due that they were understaffed but also the amount of questions that need to be answered. I probably don't want to go back.

Along with the normal rejections on the form was the UK mad cow part; anyone who lived in the UK from 1/1/1980 to 31/12/1996 is not welcomed and it listed England; Scotland; Wales; Ireland; Channel Islands and Isle Of Man.

The worst part; there was no cheese and biscuits this time.

dhammer53

It's been almost a year since I bumped this thread. You know what that means.

dh

Mr. Vker

Donate platelets every 2 weeks.

Next donation Monday 7/7

oldpenny16

thank you Mr Vker! A dear friend of ours is staying alive because he is receiving at least 3 units of blood a week.

He isn't ready to leave his 9 year old daughter alone in this world.

bowdenj

Busy at the Indianapolis northside donation center on Wednesday 07/02/08.

Donated 1 pint after 1 year deferment (was a guinea pig for Lilly last year on Alzheimer clinical trial).

goalie

been giving since my 18th birthday and give every 8 weeks (with the blood center "conveniently located" just a block and a half from home)

Djlawman

My son and our family give thanks regularly to all those who donate blood. If not for them, he would not have made it through the 3 1/2 years of chemotherapy for his leukemia. He is now 1+ year off treatment and doing great.

Thanks again. If you can, please donate regularly. People really do need the blood. I know many of these families.

We give regularly.