# I pit people who don't donate blood! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 20, 2006, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496 "2006-06-20T23:10:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/141 "2006-06-22T01:43:26Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] :rolleyes: Well, there’s homophobia as in gay barmen getting beaten to death for being queer, and then there’s homophobia as in gay would-be blood donors getting their widdle feelings hurt over being considered a statistically unacceptable HIV risk. [/QUOTE] Speaking of that statistically unacceptable HIV risk, this is what Héma-Québec evokes when asked to explain its gay ban. But they also note that they decided not to change the policy after consultation with “consumer groups.” Not scientists; not researchers; consumer groups. Which means, as we have maintained, that there is no scientific reason, just a PR reason that panders to homophobia. A final note: The other day, on my bike, I rode past a fire station where a blood drive was in progress. The (hunky) fire guy asked me to give blood, but I told him I couldn’t because I’m a homosexual. He had no idea that this policy applied; I had to tell him. Anyway, you can see why I’m less than sanguine (ha!) when I see those tearjerking commercials with the adorable little girls with xenopolyhepatodiacuprocythemia who will die horribly unless you go and donate blood right this minute. Well, I would, but you might catch The Gay; much better to exclude me and my COMPLETELY HEALTHY BLOOD THAT YOU DESPERATELY NEED entirely. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/142 "2006-06-22T03:14:41Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] Anyway, you can see why I’m less than sanguine (ha!) when I see those tearjerking commercials with the adorable little girls with xenopolyhepatodiacuprocythemia who will die horribly unless you go and donate blood right this minute. Well, I would, but you might catch The Gay; much better to exclude me and my COMPLETELY HEALTHY BLOOD THAT YOU DESPERATELY NEED entirely. [/QUOTE] Well that’s the real reason they won’t let you donate. Of course science has demonstrated that sexuality is physical, and largely genetic. The gay alleles in your blood could cause an epidemic of homosexualism throughout the province. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/143 "2006-06-22T03:24:01Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] “I can’t promise that I’ll try. But I will try to try.” [/QUOTE] I found a blood drive 15 miles away on July 18. At the fair! I’ll go. I’ve been shamed into it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/144 "2006-06-22T06:47:47Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] We had a similar thing another place I worked, you got the time to donate plus a half day vacation time, up to 3 extra days a year. Annoyed me that I was left out of that benefit. [/QUOTE] I’m curious about how widespread this seems to be, based on this thread. Blood groups I’m familiar with are all wildly paranoid about anything that could be even remotely construed as giving people something in exchange for donating, because any kind of compensation could encourage people to lie about their history. The company I know best would never agree to participate in a blood drive at a company that had this kind of policy. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/145 "2006-06-22T13:14:33Z")
[QUOTE=saoirse] The gay alleles in your blood could cause an epidemic of homosexualism throughout the province. [/QUOTE] And what’s wrong with that?! ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/146 "2006-06-22T13:26:22Z")
a day off? Half a day off? I’d give all the time! I got a sticker that says, “be nice to me; I gave blood today.” whoopee… good on you, **goddess** --I hope it goes well. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/147 "2006-06-22T13:27:57Z")
[QUOTE=Smeghead] I’m curious about how widespread this seems to be, based on this thread. Blood groups I’m familiar with are all wildly paranoid about anything that could be even remotely construed as giving people something in exchange for donating, because any kind of compensation could encourage people to lie about their history. The company I know best would never agree to participate in a blood drive at a company that had this kind of policy. [/QUOTE] I get the general idea behind this, but I wonder if that policy’s a bit overboard. There’s ways to anonymously prevent them from using your blood for anything. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/148 "2006-06-22T13:30:29Z")
Does anyone have any stats on how many units of blood are used in the U.S. (or world) on a given day? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/149 "2006-06-22T13:31:58Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Does anyone have any stats on how many units of blood are used in the U.S. (or world) on a given day? [/QUOTE] I was wondering about this too. I wonder what percentage of the blood that they get is actually used. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/150 "2006-06-22T13:45:04Z")
And given what was mentioned above about not offering rewards for whole blood donation, why is that not a problem for selling plasma? You can’t make a fortune at it but I’ve known people who did it and if you go frequently, it’s a tidy little addition to your paycheck. ---
**Author:** ![abbeytxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@abbeytxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abbeytxs)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/151 "2006-06-22T13:57:30Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Does anyone have any stats on how many units of blood are used in the U.S. (or world) on a given day? [/QUOTE] According to this site; [http://www.americasblood.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=display.showPage&pageID=12](http://www.americasblood.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=display.showPage&pageID=12) 38,000 pints per day. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/152 "2006-06-22T14:00:27Z")
Ok, you guys have caused me to set up an appointment for next week - the soonest they have one. I haven’t donated every 56 days like some of you! But I do have a decent history of donation. My little blood donor card has all the dates (which I wrote in by hand) - 9/95 11/95 1/96 3/96 11/96 2/97 5/97 9/98 5/99 9/01 5/02 (Some of these dates might be a little off, as it’s hard to read after all these years). I actually turned 17 in 93, which is the age you can donate, but in '90 I’d contracted malaria so couldn’t donate until five years later. In 2002, I had a pretty bad experience…the woman pricked a nerve or something, and my arm hurt and felt numb and weird for six months afterwards. Kind of scared me off donating, and (obviously) I haven’t been back since. I fear that kind of thing might do some permanent damage. Does it? I have no idea, but it’s still scary. I’ll try starting again, though. I do love this little card that tells me my blood type and all that. I really need to get a new card, though, as it’s worn out pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/153 "2006-06-22T14:04:12Z")
Sorry to double-post, but looking at the American red Cross website, it seems they have really relaxed their rules on malaria: [This is the link to their eligibility requirements, by the way.](http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_557_,00.html#mal) ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/154 "2006-06-22T14:16:56Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] Your reasoning seems counter-productive to me. [/quote] Education is only as good as the mind of the student. > [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > You say there are many “people who need donated blood to save their lives”, yet you are IN FAVOR of a policy that excludes many potential donors\*, all because of political prejudice that has no valid scientific backing? When many other countries don’t have such restrictions at all, and get along fine without them. Strike one. I didn’t say I was in favour of the policy. I said your hissy-fit response was inappropriate. We can argue the “political prejudice that has no valid scientific backing” if you like - my understanding is that MWHSWM _are_ a statistically higher-risk group and that, not political prejudice, dictates the policy. As to what other countries do? Heh. The States wouldn’t take my blood because, y’know, being English and all I’m necessarily riddled with vCJD. But do I go screeching that no-one should donate blood in the States? No, I do not. :rolleyes: > [@t-bonham@scc-net](#): > > Seems like the hurt to “my widdle feelings” is far less than the hurt to some injured person who needs blood. That’s real hurt! Yeah, I believe you understand me. > [@t-bonham@scc-net](#): > > - Some 62,000+ donors, according to the Red Crosses own estimate. That’s somewhere around a quarter-million pints of blood per year missed. A figure you’re heroically trying to up. Strike two. > [@t-bonham@scc-net](#): > > P.S. You’re trying to insult gay people, by calling them dicks? Get a clue, man. Gay people **like** dicks! No, I wasn’t insulting gay people, I was insulting _you_, ignorant of whether you yourself are gay or just pretentiously self-important over what you view as a gay rights issue. Strike three _jerks thumb in direction of dugout_. But I’ll take your clue and call you a cunt instead. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/155 "2006-06-22T14:17:11Z")
[QUOTE=Smeghead] I’m curious about how widespread this seems to be, based on this thread. Blood groups I’m familiar with are all wildly paranoid about anything that could be even remotely construed as giving people something in exchange for donating, because any kind of compensation could encourage people to lie about their history. The company I know best would never agree to participate in a blood drive at a company that had this kind of policy. [/QUOTE] Nonsense. The \*Federal Fucking Government \* gives you 4 hours of Admin leave for giving blood. Thus, you are just plain wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/156 "2006-06-22T14:20:16Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] No, I wasn’t insulting gay people, I was insulting _you_, ignorant of whether you yourself are gay or just pretentiously self-important over what you view as a gay rights issue. Strike three _jerks thumb in direction of dugout_. But I’ll take your clue and call you a cunt instead. [/QUOTE] I had to go and check again that this was in the Pit, since most people have been pretty nice. Well, you did a pretty good job of making it clear! :eek: 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hawksgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed655f/32.png) [@hawksgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawksgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/157 "2006-06-22T14:23:00Z")
Whats this about not being allowed to get anything from donating? Its not much, but they always give us free T-shirts and coupons for free pints of ice cream. Granted, its not like being paid to donate, but it is some kind of compensation. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/158 "2006-06-22T14:45:20Z")
[QUOTE=hawksgirl] Whats this about not being allowed to get anything from donating? Its not much, but they always give us free T-shirts and coupons for free pints of ice cream. Granted, its not like being paid to donate, but it is some kind of compensation. [/QUOTE] When I donated yesterday I got a coupon for a free hamburger, fries and drink and a local stand. Also, to address a point from earlier in the thread, the woman who took my blood was an RN and a NP. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/159 "2006-06-22T15:10:56Z")
[QUOTE=Anaamika] I had to go and check again that this was in the Pit, since most people have been pretty nice. Well, you did a pretty good job of making it clear! :eek: 🙂 [/QUOTE] Most people would have found the thread title a bit of a pointer. :rolleyes: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496/160 "2006-06-22T15:13:11Z")
[QUOTE=Malacandra] Most people would have found the thread title a bit of a pointer. :rolleyes: 😃 [/QUOTE] Well, you can take your rolleyes, and - and - I got nothin’. I just didn’t pay attention. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-people-who-dont-donate-blood/361496.md?page=9)