The FDA’s current policy allows a heterosexual woman who has had sex with numerous HIV-infected partners to give blood after waiting 1 year, whereas a gay man who has been celibate the past 23 years may not. This rule was set in the early 80’s, when little was known about AIDS, HIV, or how the homosexual lifestyle affected the rise of AIDS. The FDA assumed that gay men were the target group for preventing AIDS, totally ignoring the risk of unprotected vaginal or anal sex practiced by heterosexual men and women. New screening tests have also been developed to help prevent the AIDS virus from spreading through blood donations.
Assuming you are a homosexual male (or just pretending), my question is this: If the FDA relaxed its out-of-date standards, would you donate blood?
Wow, how did I miss this one?
Unfair practice? Based on today’s technology and knowledge, yes, IMHO. In theory, I’d love to give blood. Alas, I cannot - not only am I gay, but I pass out at needles. 
Esprix
Are you kidding? They won’t leave me alone as a (relatively) asexual female.
Besides, because my blood type includes the letters CMV-, I would almost feel obligated to give were I a homosexual male. You see, my blood is best for premature babies, cancer patients and other immune-deficient patients
Hey, Esprix - just don’t look at the needle and you’ll be fine. Trust me. 
Oops. That should have read “I would feel as obligated”
mea maximuma culpa.
[sub]dogsbody can’t type[/sub]
I signed up to give blood senior year in high school-they REALLY guilt tripped you into it. And then, when I went to do so, they turned me away, because I was so nervous and shaking when the woman went to prick my finger to test my blood-she was afraid I’d faint.
I was SOOOO embarassed!
Remember that in the United States, in urban populations the incidence of HIV is several times higher among gay men than among heterosexuals as a whole, particularly those who are middle class and above. Even setting aside the likelihood that anal sex results in tears that increase transmission risk, a woman with a life out of “Sex and the City” will have a much lower risk of contracting HIV than would a gay man with the same number of partners, exercising the same safer-sex precautions (or not).
That’s the unfair reality. Giving blood ain’t a right.
Now, as for myself, I’ve been out for 17 years and wish I could donate blood, as my type’s a bit on rare side. But I had hepatitis A in Japan 11 years ago, so I’m out for good.
In a heartbeat! It would be the very least I could do.
I always feel sort of bitter about those heartrending Héma-Québec commercials with the adorable little girls with the messages saying how many transfusions they’ve gotten and imploring us to please please please give blood because they need it so bad.
Oxy, have you read any of the HIV/AIDS informational threads here on the SDMB? I suggest you do - some of your information is a bit, er, wrong, but I don’t want to hijack the thread. Do a quick search on “HIV” or “AIDS” in the subject line and I think you’ll find some more accurate information elsewhere.
Thanks.
Esprix
I don’t know a whole lot about the blood-donation scene. I had assumed that all donated blood is screened for disease before it could get to a patient, especially now that we have the technology to do so. Is donated blood screened for disease? If so, why block one group of people from donating?
If donated blood is not screened, it’s still ridiculous that a decades-old law, drafted when the disease was still new and shrouded in urban legend, is in place. It makes no sense that a slutty hetero woman can give all she wants while a gay man of any lifestyle can’t. It boggles me.
Yes, Beadalin, it is screened. But the point is that they aren’t sure they can screen every variety of blood-borne disease; they’re worried they might miss HIV, for example, at some point in its lifecycle - or in some variations. (That’s why you get all those warnings about DO NOT GIVE BLOOD TO GET AN AIDS TEST and so forth.)
Now, I happen to think the reasons for excluding any man who has had sex with another man even once since 1979 are kinda dumb. But in addition to the blood-safety factors, you also have to remember the AIDS-related hysteria of the 1980s. People stopped giving blood out of fear you could catch AIDS that way. (Memo to anyone reading this who is really, really slow: you can’t, of course.) They may be hesitant to relax the restrictions because they fear a resurgance of that hysteria.
Or they may just fear legal action. In France, several politicians who were in the ministry of health during the early and mid '80s were taken to court over accusations that they had not taken sufficient steps to protect those who recieved blood. And that was in France, which is not nearly as lawsuit-happy as the US. The ARC may simply be terrified that if someone did get AIDS after a transfusion, and they had recently relaxed their standards, they’d be sued.
When I was in college, I used to give blood every six weeks; when I was late by even one week, the ARC would be on the phone saying “Come donate!” (I have a moderately unusual blood type.) I watched the introductory interview go from merely lengthy to patently absurd; seemed like every six weeks they’d’ve added another batch of screening questions. I appreciate the ARC’s concerns for the safety of the blood supply, but I wonder how restrictive the screening can get before there aren’t enough qualified donors (who are willing to donate) to provide all the blood we need.
I don’t see how the risk of infected blood is reduced by excluding homosexual men while allowing promiscuous heterosexuals to donate at will. I would rather get blood from a man who has been in a monogamous relationship with another man for years than some trollop that just got through banging the Yankees.
My wife is CMV- also. The blood services are always calling her for blood. I have to convince her to take some time off occasionly to let her arms and veins heal. I don’t want her to have the arms of a 10 yr heroin addict. Do they guilt-trip you like they do to her?
Even though I have consistently tested negative for HIV, and am a lesbian rather than a gay man, I, too am barred from donating blood because I have had sex with an HIV positive person and a former IV drug user (one and the same person.) My beloved wife and love of my life died 8 years ago from AIDS.
If I could go back to donating, I would.
Would I donate blood? Of course! Anything to help out!