LGBT News Blood donation ban lifted for gay men

Wat... Why not just if they aren't HIV positive? Or just STD free?

 

lol, i dont want to give my blood anyways even if i am healthy and there's free t shirt xD

 

Blood test for viruses are conducted only after the blood has been taken. This is mostly because some blood donors may be unaware of their health conditions.

If anything, this new change in policy is a step in the right direction. Would be great if the ban was removed entirely, but we can tackle that later on.

 

That's still a problem. This is hardly progression on their behalf. Not every MSM has an std even if they had sex like yesterday

 

hahaha..... that's funny. 5 years? Seriously? How many of us does that apply to? 6 months? That's one thing.. but 5 years? I could do it, but I doubt many of us could.

 

The entire situation about gay men and donating blood really gets me going. I'll spare everyone the rant -.-

 

How would they even be able to tell if you were gay?

 

The policy evidently only applies to MSM in Canada, and it will be under constant review as more data on HIV transmission among MSM becomes available. It's a (very small) step in the right direction.

 

and isn't this totally dependent on self-reporting anyway? I wonder if there's any reason not to give blood if you are HIV neg

 

A bit of history would explain why they are so skittish about this issue.

A couple of decades ago there a was tainted blood scandal here in Canada. Several recipients of donated blood and other derived materials contracted HIV and Hep C, both incurable diseases.

After a long inquiry, the Red Cross was relieved of the responsibility of collecting blood in Canada and this task was taken over by a government agency.

I can understand the caution, given this history, but nevertheless, it should be based on science and common sense...too much to hope for I'm afraid...