Deferral of Judgment
So much for sanity at American blood banks. All sorts of risky behaviors entail limited deferrals from donating, but male-to-male sexual contact, no matter what kind, still means a lifetime ban.
Before giving blood, all men are asked if they have had sex, even once, with another man since 1977, when the AIDS epidemic began in the United States, according to the drug agency. Those who say they have are barred from donating. The drug agency says those men are at increased risk of infection by H.I.V., which can be transmitted by blood transfusion. Anyone who has used intravenous drugs or been paid for sex is also permanently barred from donating blood.
In March 2006, the Red Cross, the international blood association AABB and America's Blood Centers proposed replacing the lifetime ban with a one-year deferral after male-to-male sexual contact. New and improved tests, which can detect H.I.V.-positive donors within 10 to 21 days of infection, make the lifetime ban unnecessary, the blood groups told the F.D.A.
In a document posted Wednesday, the drug agency said it would change its policy if it received data proving that doing so would not pose a "significant and preventable" risk to blood recipients.
The deferral guidelines make clear that some potentially serious conditions are not lifetime bans from donating. One can donate blood after recovering from many types of cancer. One can donate, after 12 months, after many types of exposure to hepatitis. One can donate, after 1 month, despite taking Propecia, which can cause birth defects in pregnant women. After 12 months, one can donate after successful treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea. After 3 years, one can donate after successful treatment for malaria.
What is particularly interesting is that blood donations are not tested for malaria, the passage of time is considered to be sufficient evidence that a previously ill donor is now no longer presenting a danger to a potential blood recipient. Yet a gay man who has always engaged in safer sex practices and has always tested negative for HIV and AIDS is permanently deferred.
The key difference is that lifting the proscription against sexually active gay men involves treating gay men as potentially healthy donors; admitting that homosexuality might be a healthy lifestyle would be a first for this administration.
Labels: blood donations, heterosexual privilege, Stupid Republican tricks
