Is it to extreme?

UK Health Officials announced this week that gay men will soon be permitted to donate blood.

This new policy will reverse a decades-old ban that has prohibited men that identify as gay from donating blood.

UK Health Minister, Anne Milton, explained the change in policy was due to concerns that the old policy was discriminatory and could violate equality legislation.

However, the participation criteria is highly selective. Only those gay men who have not had sex with another man in the past 10 years will be allowed to donate. Thus, sexually-active gay men are still banned from donating.

What do you think?

GL ;)

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Originally Posted by Gaylord

UK Health Officials announced this week that gay men will soon be permitted to donate blood.

This new policy will reverse a decades-old ban that has prohibited men that identify as gay from donating blood.

UK Health Minister, Anne Milton, explained the change in policy was due to concerns that the old policy was discriminatory and could violate equality legislation.

However, the participation criteria is highly selective. Only those gay men who have not had sex with another man in the past 10 years will be allowed to donate. Thus, sexually-active gay men are still banned from donating.

What do you think?

GL ;)

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I think that it is a sensible precaution - The issue is one of risk to those needing blood transfusions.

I donate blood and each time I fill out a fairly comprehensive questionaire, it is designed to eliminate risk of infected blood being used in a transfusion - god knows we have had enough issues here in the past.

You are barred from donating for things like diabites or gout even though these diseases/ailments cannot be passed on through transfusions.

Sexually active gay men are in the case of blood donations a high risk catagory - this isn't anti gay men - rather it is an attempt to ensure that recipients of transfusions are in no way put at risk.

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Originally Posted by ThomasJ

I think that it is a sensible precaution - The issue is one of risk to those needing blood transfusions.

I donate blood and each time I fill out a fairly comprehensive questionaire, it is designed to eliminate risk of infected blood being used in a transfusion - god knows we have had enough issues here in the past.

You are barred from donating for things like diabites or gout even though these diseases/ailments cannot be passed on through transfusions.

Sexually active gay men are in the case of blood donations a high risk catagory - this isn't anti gay men - rather it is an attempt to ensure that recipients of transfusions are in no way put at risk.

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Valid point TJ. But are they not just assuming that gay men are having unprotected sex?

GL ;)

Surely they test all the blood before passing it to the public. A hetrosexual man who has unprotected sex can pick up just as bad STDs. I think its a rule that needs to change.