Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
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Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
Debate current medical affairs
In the UK gay men have not been able to donate blood - a lifetime ban was put in place in the 1980s with the aim of reducing the risk of HIV contamination of blood. People coming back from high risk
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Forums » Off duty » News & media » Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
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Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
posted at 13/9/2011 5:41 PM BST
on bmj.com
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*Moderator*
Posts: 942
First: 10/9/2009 Last: 21/5/2013 |
The following research was published last week on bmj.com - Views and experiences of men who have sex with men on the ban on blood donation: a cross sectional survey with qualitative interviews ... Objective To explore compliance with the UK blood services’ criterion that excludes men who have had penetrative sex with a man from donating blood, and to assess the possible effects of revising this policy. Design A random location, cross sectional survey followed by qualitative interviews. Participants 1028 of 32 373 men in the general population reporting any male sexual contact completed the survey. Additional questions were asked of a general population sample (n=3914). Thirty men who had had penetrative sex with a man participated in the qualitative interviews (19 who had complied with the blood services’ exclusion criterion and 11 who had not complied). Main outcome measure Compliance with the blood services’ lifetime exclusion criterion for men who have had penetrative sex with a man. Results 10.6% of men with experience of penetrative sex with a man reported having donated blood in Britain while ineligible under the exclusion criterion, and 2.5% had donated in the previous 12 months. Ineligible donation was less common among men who had had penetrative sex with a man recently (in previous 12 months) than among men for whom this last occurred longer ago. Reasons for non-compliance with the exclusion included self categorisation as low risk, discounting the sexual experience that barred donation, belief in the infallibility of blood screening, concerns about confidentiality, and misunderstanding or perceived inequity of the rule. Although blood donation was rarely viewed as a “right,” potential donors were seen as entitled to a considered assessment of risk. A one year deferral since last male penetrative sex was considered by study participants to be generally feasible, equitable, and acceptable. Conclusions A minority of men who have sex with men who are ineligible to donate blood under the current donor exclusion in Britain have nevertheless done so in the past 12 months. Many of the reasons identified for non-compliance seem amenable to intervention. A clearly rationalised and communicated one year donor deferral is likely to be welcomed by most men who have sex with men. |
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Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
posted at 14/9/2011 5:49 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 65
First: 5/5/2009 Last: 16/1/2012 |
The blood service's first and overwhelming priority must be to ensure the safety of blood for recipients. If current evidence shows that a one year deferral for men who have ever had sex with a man is just as safe as a lifetime ban then that is to be welcomed. But this still groups together men with very different risks of having a transfusion transmitable infection. For example, a married and monogamous gay couple who are sexually active but still always use condoms may still not donate blood even though they present a far lower risk than a heterosexual man who has many sexual partners and practices unprotected anal sex. Although one poster says the change will not result in many more blood donors (an estimate is that only 7% of men who identify as gay have abstained from penetrative sex for more than a year) the change at least theoretically now permits the thousands of men who may have at some point briefly experimented with homosexuality. As for only "sodomising homosexuals" being allowed to donate to other "sodomising homosexuals," where's the evidence for this unenlightened suggestion? And as for the horrific question of whether I'd accept "the blood of a gay," well it all depends on how hot he was. See the recent news story for the facts: http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d5765.short And this week's Personal View for an alternative way to assess individuals' risk to the blood supply http://www.bmj.com/content/343/bmj.d5793.extract |
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Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
posted at 14/9/2011 7:23 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 645
First: 2/2/2011 Last: 22/5/2013 |
In Response to Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?: I can put the question differently ; Would you accept to be infused with the blood of a gay?... Posted by ikaros Hi ikaros your views are logical and i endorse it fully. |
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Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
posted at 23/9/2011 11:03 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 6
First: 26/8/2011 Last: 21/5/2012 |
In Response to Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?: In Response to Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood? : Hi ikaros your views are logical and i endorse it fully. Posted by mukhtar ali Ikaros, Mukhtar ali, what do you mean by this?! It seems to be saying that you wouldn't want a gay man's blood even if the risk of HIV, as the blood service has re-calculated using new methods of detection, isn't any higher than other populations.
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Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
posted at 7/10/2011 3:44 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 16
First: 3/6/2011 Last: 22/3/2012 |
Autors: MSc. Ihosvany Castellanos Santos Lic. Oyaima Esther Placencia Fritze. Dra. Marena Lería Massanet. Dra. Tania Gómez Lauchy. Lic. Reimundo Eugenio Fernández Abril Title:The gay blood donations
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Hyperhidrosis
posted at 24/2/2012 8:05 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 16
First: 3/6/2011 Last: 22/3/2012 |
Authors:Dr. Odalis Rodriguez Guillen. Instructor Professor. MSc. Ihosvany Castellanos Santos. Assistant Professor. Title: Hyperhidrosis Sleep hyperhidrosis, more commonly known as the night sweats, is the occurrence of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) during sleep. The sufferer may or may not also suffer from excessive perspiration while awake. Sleep hyperhidrosis may occur at any age, but is most commonly seen in early adulthood. Night sweats may occur for genetic reasons and may be relatively harmless. However, they can be distressing and disrupt sleep patterns if severe; the patient may be frequently awakened due to the discomfort of damp sleepwear or bedding. One of the most common causes of night sweats in women over 40 is the hormonal changes related to menopause and perimenopause. This is a very common occurrence during the menopause transition years and while annoying, it is not necessarily dangerous or a sign of underlying disease. Some women experience night sweats during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. While some causes of night sweats may be relatively harmless, others may not and can be a sign of a serious underlying disease. While there can be several possible causes of excessive sweating at night, it is important to distinguish night sweats due to medical causes from those that occur simply because the sleep environment is too warm, either because the bedroom is unusually hot or because there are too many covers on the bed. A night sweat caused by a medical condition or infection can be described as ‘severe hot flashes occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, which are not related to an overheated environment’. Some of the underlying medical conditions and infections that cause these severe night sweats can be life-threatening and should promptly be investigated by a medical practitioner. There are many ways to help relieve night sweats. Many people suffering from night sweat |
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Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?
posted at 25/2/2012 5:51 PM GMT
on bmj.com
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Posts: 26
First: 9/2/2012 Last: 12/1/2013 |
In Response to Re: Should gay men be allowed to give blood?: Homosexual males should certainly be allowed to donate blood to other homosexual males. In fact, this should apply to all sodomizing males whether bisexual or homosexual. They should all be carefully screened for HIV as this is the main risk. They all need to be screened for the various hepatitis viruses, syphilis, and other bloodborne diseases associated with sodomy. Hopefully a newer disease to replace HIV will not appear as HIV suddenly became the "gay plague" in the U.S. circa 1982. I would not allow sodomists to donate blood to the general population unless the transfused was informed and of sound mind and agreeable to it. Posted by Reikidoc eikidoc, Anal sex is not the only means of HIV transmission. Vaginal and oral intercourse are also routes of the viral infection. For that effect, there a HUGE number of HIV infected women. I do not agree with your post and in fact I do think it will promote an even greater discrimination of the group in discussion.
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