Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 09:52:09 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772945
  • Total Topics: 66310
  • Online Today: 377
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 1
Guests: 334
Total: 335

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?  (Read 9615 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline jackfrost

  • Member
  • Posts: 93
Here in Canada if you are a man who has had sex with a man you are not allowed to donate blood. Doesn't matter if you don't have an infectious disease. If you are a man who has had sex with men you can't donate blood. A couple of years they started applying that rule for donating organs. Doesn't matter if you are one of the healthiest people in the world with no diseases, they won't take your organs if you are a man who has had sex with men. 

I was just curious if it is like that in the United States and other countries?

Offline PozBrian

  • Member
  • Posts: 202
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2010, 11:07:32 pm »
Last I heard it was though there was some effort to change that. A search of the forums should reveal the thread.

A similar thing occurred to me a little while ago regarding organ donation. I have long checked the organ donor box on my drivers license. Is that something that should be undone? Can it be undone or should I not worry about it?
Currently Trivicay & Truvada
1/15 549 37%UD
9/14 778 35% UD
5/14 537 36% UD
6/13 632 36% UD 
6/12 559 39% UD
11/09 CD4: 379, 25% VL: UNDETECTABLE!!
10/09 CD4: 245, 25% VL: 87
9/09 CD4: 246, 24% VL: 49!
8/09 CD4: 277, 26% VL: 115
7/09 CD4: 346, 24% VL: 221
6/09 started meds.
4/09 HIV +, CD4: 397, 16%  VL:195000, PPD reactive

Offline tednlou2

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,730
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2010, 11:19:20 pm »
It is the same here, but there is a move to change the blood donation rule for gay men who are HIV neg.  It is discrimination and stupid for them to rely on people being honest with them.  I recently posted how they believe by banning gays, this will ensure the blood supply.  However, they don't care if straight people have 5,000 partners.  

I'm kinda surprised Canada has this same rule.  I thought Canadians were a little smarter about these things.  

Edited for spelling
« Last Edit: May 24, 2010, 11:20:51 pm by tednlou2 »

Offline HippieLady

  • Member
  • Posts: 219
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2010, 11:22:06 pm »
As far as the license organ donor thing...it can be removed.  I removed mine years ago long before I tested poz because I got paranoid the doctors wouldn't try as hard to safe me if I was in an accident.  Probably can just go to your local drivers license place. :)
~Katie~
Diagnosed HIV+ April 30, 2010

Current CD4-638  VL-UD  11/2013

Offline john33

  • Member
  • Posts: 407
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #4 on: May 25, 2010, 06:00:22 am »
To be honest that's something that was never on the cards for me.

In the UK because i'm gay, and thank to mad cows disease there's a blanket ban on all people from the UK.

Thats before we get to the whole msm HIV thing.

Actually mad cows disease makes for a very handy excuse evertime theres a blllod drive at work and questions get asked

John

Offline elf

  • Member
  • Posts: 645
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #5 on: May 25, 2010, 06:45:11 am »
In my country it's now allowed.
But many MSM donate blood instead of getting tested the regular way.
No test is 100% perfect.
So, there have been 4 cases of people getting HIV from donated blood in the last 5 years:.

Because of high prevalence in MSM population (5%) [1000 times more than in the general population], and the window period, the Croatian government thinks it's better to prevent.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2010, 06:53:50 am by elf »

Offline Hellraiser

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,155
  • Semi-misanthropic
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #6 on: May 25, 2010, 09:34:16 am »
This keeps getting brought up.  Honestly it sucks that we as an easily targetable group have a stigmatized blood/organ supply.  Them's the facts though.  Gay men are a very high risk group so it's easy to just go ahead and disclude them.  This is not homophobia as I'm pretty sure the question is "Men who have sex with men" and lesbians can just fly right on by.

According to...
http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/FastFacts-MSM-FINAL508COMP.pdf

Gay men represent 4% of the total US population supposedly, but 50% of the diagnosed AIDS cases.  From an epidemiological standpoint it's just smarter to do it this way.  Sure they test it, but what if you were recently infected?  No antibodies, no positive result.  Life sucks and then you die.  Those of us who actually are positive going on and on about not being able to donate blood seems...a little odd?

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2010, 10:10:38 am »

Sure they test it, but what if you were recently infected?  No antibodies, no positive result. 


They test the blood supply with NAT testing which will catch most new infections within a week or so.

I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again - instead of asking people WHO they have sex with, they should be asking people HOW they have sex.

The question should be:

"Have you had unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with anyone of unknown or hiv positive status in the past three months?"

Forget this MSM crap - people who have sex with members of the opposite sex (PSOS?) get hiv too.

Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline Hellraiser

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,155
  • Semi-misanthropic
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #8 on: May 25, 2010, 10:19:10 am »
They test the blood supply with NAT testing which will catch most new infections within a week or so.

I've said it before and no doubt I'll say it again - instead of asking people WHO they have sex with, they should be asking people HOW they have sex.

The question should be:

"Have you had unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with anyone of unknown or hiv positive status in the past three months?"

Forget this MSM crap - people who have sex with members of the opposite sex (PSOS?) get hiv too.



The problem with "most" is that it's not all.  One person gets an hiv+ blood transfusion and then they could answer "No I've never had unprotected sex in my entire life" and perpetuate the cycle.  It's a sticky subject and yes I do think they should ask if people have had unprotected sex but in the US, HIV is heavily concentrated amongst gay men and don't we know it.

Offline Ann

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 28,134
  • It just is, OK?
    • Num is sum qui mentiar tibi?
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #9 on: May 25, 2010, 10:24:10 am »

The question about unprotected sex is a much better one and will ultimately stop more people who may have been at risk from donating - both gay and straight. Just because there are fewer straights who are poz, in comparison to gay men, doesn't mean they aren't capable of tainting the blood supply.

After all, you said yourself that 50% of the people with hiv diagnosis are gay men, and that means the other 50% are straight. ::)

on edit

I missed what you said about transfusions. That's one of the questions and people who have had transfusions are banned from donating.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2010, 10:26:15 am by Ann »
Condoms are a girl's best friend

Condom and Lube Info  

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Offline bocker3

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,285
  • You gotta enjoy life......
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #10 on: May 25, 2010, 05:48:05 pm »
This keeps getting brought up.  Honestly it sucks that we as an easily targetable group have a stigmatized blood/organ supply.  Them's the facts though.  Gay men are a very high risk group so it's easy to just go ahead and disclude them.  This is not homophobia as I'm pretty sure the question is "Men who have sex with men" and lesbians can just fly right on by.

According to...
http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/docs/FastFacts-MSM-FINAL508COMP.pdf

Gay men represent 4% of the total US population supposedly, but 50% of the diagnosed AIDS cases.  From an epidemiological standpoint it's just smarter to do it this way.  Sure they test it, but what if you were recently infected?  No antibodies, no positive result.  Life sucks and then you die.  Those of us who actually are positive going on and on about not being able to donate blood seems...a little odd?

Actually this may have been 'smarter' from an epidemological standpoint when it was instituted, but it no longer is.  What we now have is a policy based on fear, misperception and history -- it is not based in fact.  Actually, I believe they main reason they won't drop this approach is that it would cause (undue) fear in the public -- people would not only refuse to receive blood, but also to donate blood.

I wrote a paper on this back on the 90's, while getting my MPH (epidemiology concentration) and I made the very point that Ann has here -- it's not about who you are or who you have sex with -- it is about how you have sex (protected / unprotected).  The current ban creates a false sense of security -- if we ban all the fags and drug addicts we'll be safe.  This is not true -- we are as safe as science can make us.  Even straight people find out they are positive upon donation -- wonder how many of them "slipped" through??  We have to rely on science, not emotion.

Mike

Offline Hellraiser

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,155
  • Semi-misanthropic
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #11 on: May 25, 2010, 07:10:08 pm »
Actually this may have been 'smarter' from an epidemological standpoint when it was instituted, but it no longer is.  What we now have is a policy based on fear, misperception and history -- it is not based in fact.  Actually, I believe they main reason they won't drop this approach is that it would cause (undue) fear in the public -- people would not only refuse to receive blood, but also to donate blood.

I wrote a paper on this back on the 90's, while getting my MPH (epidemiology concentration) and I made the very point that Ann has here -- it's not about who you are or who you have sex with -- it is about how you have sex (protected / unprotected).  The current ban creates a false sense of security -- if we ban all the fags and drug addicts we'll be safe.  This is not true -- we are as safe as science can make us.  Even straight people find out they are positive upon donation -- wonder how many of them "slipped" through??  We have to rely on science, not emotion.

Mike

If you really feel this way then the questionnaire portion of blood donation should be just be junked and instead we can skip directly to the eventual testing for everything in the blood product.  While I can see you and Ann as having reasonable points of view do you really think the questions asked are invalid?  The MSM question is just one in a series in an attempt to weed out contamination in the blood supply.  If you think that one is invalid then it follows that you assume the others are invalid as well.

Offline Boze

  • Member
  • Posts: 477
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #12 on: May 25, 2010, 07:49:37 pm »
I'm with Hellraiser. It's the basic public policy dilemma - whether the offense caused to the profiled group is worth the incremental reduction in risk.

If one factor is responsible for a 100x increase in disease prevalence, it should be considered.
==========
Aug08 - Seroconversion
Mar10 - Diagnosis; cd4 690 - VL 19,000
Apr10 - cd4 600
May10 - VL 4,500
Jun10 - started Atripla ; VL 113
Jul 10 - UD vl, CD4 590
Aug 10 - UD, CD4 810, 52%
Nov 10 - UD, CD4 980

Offline tednlou2

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,730
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #13 on: May 25, 2010, 09:28:52 pm »
There is an update to the gay donation story on poz.com--see link below 

I agree with Ann.  They should ask if you've had unprotected sex and not with whom.  I've talked about this before.  I went to donate blood back in the 90's at work.  I answered the question honestly.  I was turned away.  I'm pretty sure I was not HIV poz then.  My straight co-worker who I knew had tons of unprotected sex with women could donate.  The form didn't ask straight people whether they've had a lot of sex partners.  They only asked whether you've had sex with a man, injected drugs, or were a prostitute.

And, how many gay people answer that question honestly?  When you are face to face with someone asking that question, how many are honest?  It is just silly in my opinion.  I remember I called the local Red Cross about the issue.  They said they ask to insure the blood supply.  I kept asking how that would insure the blood supply.  I said wouldn't only testing the blood do that.  She said since HIV may not show up for a while, the blood may go out with tainted blood.  Well, I don't know if she knew what she was talking about.  That seems dangerous to me if they aren't making sure they are sure the blood isn't tainted by HIV, Hepatitis, and other STDs before giving it out.

The thing that has lowered transmissions via the blood supply is testing the blood, obviously, and stopping paying people for plasma where many of them were IV drug users looking for money.  It hasn't been asking Are you gay that has led to the dramatic decrease. 

 http://www.poz.com/articles/FDA_lift__ban_1_18468.shtml

Offline bocker3

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,285
  • You gotta enjoy life......
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #14 on: May 26, 2010, 07:38:07 am »
If you really feel this way then the questionnaire portion of blood donation should be just be junked and instead we can skip directly to the eventual testing for everything in the blood product.  While I can see you and Ann as having reasonable points of view do you really think the questions asked are invalid?  The MSM question is just one in a series in an attempt to weed out contamination in the blood supply.  If you think that one is invalid then it follows that you assume the others are invalid as well.

No, of course they shouldn't scrap the questionnaire, I am advocating changing it - you are missing the point -- most questions ask about health conditions, well-being, history of diseases, surgeries, etc -- they are not about who you are.  There is no scientific reason to ban a man who had sex with another man back in 1976 (and never since), yet the current policy does just that.  You are doing the same thing that the policy makers do -- avoiding the real question and throwing out red herrings.  

To be clear -- I am trying to speak from a point of knowledge -- although it's been a long time, I have worked in blood banks, cross-matching units for patients and in blood donor centers, testing donated blood.  I want a safe blood supply -- that is why I think this ban is nuts.  It simply doesn't protect -- it just makes many people FEEL it is more protected.

Mike

Edited to add:  This subject comes up a couple times every year and the fact that even those banned think it is a sound policy is one of the reasons why this ban has little chance of changing.  The PERCEPTION of safety that it gives is enough to keep it in place -- the fact that it doesn't really increase safety (and may, in fact, decrease it) doesn't matter.  So with that, I'll leave this debate, as I've seen over and over that it is not possible to change minds with science in this area.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2010, 07:50:08 am by bocker3 »

Offline Hellraiser

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,155
  • Semi-misanthropic
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #15 on: May 26, 2010, 09:25:03 am »
No, of course they shouldn't scrap the questionnaire, I am advocating changing it - you are missing the point -- most questions ask about health conditions, well-being, history of diseases, surgeries, etc -- they are not about who you are.  There is no scientific reason to ban a man who had sex with another man back in 1976 (and never since), yet the current policy does just that.  You are doing the same thing that the policy makers do -- avoiding the real question and throwing out red herrings.  

To be clear -- I am trying to speak from a point of knowledge -- although it's been a long time, I have worked in blood banks, cross-matching units for patients and in blood donor centers, testing donated blood.  I want a safe blood supply -- that is why I think this ban is nuts.  It simply doesn't protect -- it just makes many people FEEL it is more protected.

Mike

Edited to add:  This subject comes up a couple times every year and the fact that even those banned think it is a sound policy is one of the reasons why this ban has little chance of changing.  The PERCEPTION of safety that it gives is enough to keep it in place -- the fact that it doesn't really increase safety (and may, in fact, decrease it) doesn't matter.  So with that, I'll leave this debate, as I've seen over and over that it is not possible to change minds with science in this area.

This actually probably more is an effect of the way I come across in text.  I can be persuaded, but I'm just expressing my point of view from a very concrete stance so as not to show weakness in my argument.  This actually extends to basically anything I write on here.  Politics, religion, beliefs, they are all malleable but in text I think the back and forth seems more tenacious.  I value your point of view and your expertise if you have a Masters in Public Health, but I do tend to disagree with you though.  I just like debating, arguing, or whatever you'd like to call it even if I'm only playing devil's advocate.

Offline Peacock

  • Member
  • Posts: 72
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #16 on: June 06, 2010, 02:45:31 am »
Hi, Sorry-I know Im a little late to be replying to this post but rather late than never,ey!

there should really be TWO seperate departments for the Organ Donation Centers: 1 for Hiv- organs ,and 1 for Hiv+ organs.
This is really important because people who Hiv+ and are on the waiting list for Organs may be discriminated against because of their status..and honestly i would rather receive a Hiv+ liver or KIDNEY rather than none at all (If I were ever in the unfortunate situation of needing one.
I googled it and found an interesting page called:Transplanting hiv positive organs into hiv positive patients
sorry- I dont know how to create a hyperlink. :-\
Cheers,
Steve
Peacock,Steve
Diagnosed 07/01/2002
Started Haart- 25/11/04 Cd4: 205 VL: 76'500
                      19/12/08 Cd4: 623 VL: UD
      26/03/12 Cd4: 497 Cd4%: 30.10 VL: UD
Combivir and Nevirapine(200mg) x1 of each-Am & pm
Not changed Meds since starting on HAART
Green Tea,Multivit,Selenium ACE,Folic acid,Vit C,Aciclovir 200mg 5x per day for 3 days-(ONLY when I have Shingles!)
100 percent adherence-with the help of a wristwatch!

Offline GSOgymrat

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,122
  • HIV+ since 1993. Relentlessly gay.
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #17 on: June 06, 2010, 12:15:13 pm »
What would be the best way to screen people who are giving blood, or do we even need to screen other than asking if the donor has tested positive for a blood borne illness? It seems like asking people to be honest about their sexual habits would be too inaccurate, so why even bother. Even if people were honest, excluding people who have had unprotected sex would exclude a lot of people. It wouldn't matter whether people were married or in a monogamous relationship because we know people cheat.

Offline Moffie65

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,755
  • Living POZ since 1983
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #18 on: June 06, 2010, 05:24:48 pm »
This has nothing to do with Public Health in the United States, as nearly all, if not all, blood banks are Privately Owned and run on the profit motive.  They don't give a shit if you are Gay or Straight, just that you don't have HIV in your blood.  I have no idea about organ donation.
The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals,
and 362 to heterosexuals.
This doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals,
It's just that they need more supervision.
Lynn Lavne

Offline Moffie65

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,755
  • Living POZ since 1983
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #19 on: June 07, 2010, 09:41:30 am »
This actually probably more is an effect of the way I come across in text.  I can be persuaded, but I'm just expressing my point of view from a very concrete stance so as not to show weakness in my argument.  This actually extends to basically anything I write on here.  Politics, religion, beliefs, they are all malleable but in text I think the back and forth seems more tenacious.  I value your point of view and your expertise if you have a Masters in Public Health, but I do tend to disagree with you though.  I just like debating, arguing, or whatever you'd like to call it even if I'm only playing devil's advocate.

So, you come here to basicly fuck with the membership, and really don't have a quality thought to donate.  You simply come here to stir, and then watch the results. 

Are you actually HIV+, or are we all just a  bit part in  your lifewheel which spins out of control? 

On another note, how do you know the qualifications of anyone on this fourm?  By what they say?  Oh doggie are you screwed up.  I suggest you take your drama and "Devils Advocate" bullshit to another board where you are really needed.  Mostly your posts are simply filling this one with drivel, and sometimes conservative, hateful drivel at that.
The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals,
and 362 to heterosexuals.
This doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals,
It's just that they need more supervision.
Lynn Lavne

Offline Hellraiser

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,155
  • Semi-misanthropic
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #20 on: June 07, 2010, 03:02:40 pm »
So, you come here to basicly fuck with the membership, and really don't have a quality thought to donate.  You simply come here to stir, and then watch the results. 

Are you actually HIV+, or are we all just a  bit part in  your lifewheel which spins out of control? 

On another note, how do you know the qualifications of anyone on this fourm?  By what they say?  Oh doggie are you screwed up.  I suggest you take your drama and "Devils Advocate" bullshit to another board where you are really needed.  Mostly your posts are simply filling this one with drivel, and sometimes conservative, hateful drivel at that.

This post disgusts me and I hope you feel better soon so maybe you won't be so cranky.

Offline David Evans

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 97
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #21 on: June 07, 2010, 03:23:50 pm »
Up until Moffie's comment, the conversation had remained civil. Moffie, please help keep it that way. We don't have to agree with each other's viewpoints, or motivations for posting, but it drives people away from the forums when we start engaging in personally insulting posts like this. Please cool it. If you think someone is flame-baiting, then please contact a moderator. Warning issued.

Offline GSOgymrat

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,122
  • HIV+ since 1993. Relentlessly gay.
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #22 on: June 15, 2010, 07:21:03 am »
Ban on gay men donating blood upheld

A federal committee recommends maintaining the policy preventing gay men from donating blood in the United States, provoking disappointment and anger from gay activist groups.

The Federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability voted 9 to 6 against lifting the ban Friday. This committee makes recommendations to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.


http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/14/ban-on-gay-men-donating-blood-upheld/?hpt=Sbin

Offline Basquo

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,385
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #23 on: June 15, 2010, 10:25:19 am »
My ex who passed away last year was an organ donor. He had kidney problems and died fairly young so I'm guessing if they did use anything it would have been skin.

Offline BJS2011

  • Member
  • Posts: 62
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #24 on: April 17, 2011, 07:20:08 am »
Here in Canada if you are a man who has had sex with a man you are not allowed to donate blood. Doesn't matter if you don't have an infectious disease. If you are a man who has had sex with men you can't donate blood. A couple of years they started applying that rule for donating organs. Doesn't matter if you are one of the healthiest people in the world with no diseases, they won't take your organs if you are a man who has had sex with men. 

I was just curious if it is like that in the United States and other countries?
I am Canadian with HIV. I did not know they won't except blood even if your healthy as can be. That saddens me. In a world where we need blood and organs how can they descriminate. Are they afraid our liver would turn a straight guy gay? This really maddens me!!

Offline elf

  • Member
  • Posts: 645
Re: Can gay men in your country donate blood and/or donate organs?
« Reply #25 on: April 17, 2011, 11:41:12 am »
I've heard that MSM blood could be okay only if MSM spent 1 month in the Blood donation center quarantine, without any exposure to other men.  :o

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.