FDA Lifting Ban on Gay Blood Doners - Polidicks

[QUOTE]The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it would scrap a decades-old lifetime prohibition on blood donation by gay and bisexual men, a major stride toward ending what many had seen as a national policy of discrimination. [B]However, the agency will continue to ban men who have been sexually active in the last year, saying that the barrier is necessary to keep the blood supply safe, a move that frustrated rights groups that were pushing for the ban to be removed entirely.[/B] The F.D.A. enacted the ban in 1983, early in the AIDS epidemic. At the time, little was known about the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes the disease, and there was no quick test to determine whether somebody had it. But science — and the understanding of H.I.V. in particular — has advanced in the intervening decades. On Tuesday the F.D.A. acknowledged as much, lifting the lifetime ban but keeping in place a block on donations by men who have had sex with other men in the last 12 months.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/24/health/fda-lifting-ban-on-gay-blood-donors.html[/url] At least it's progress.

it was a stupid ban and I can't wait for it to be removed completely. gays aren't the only ones getting aids you know

I read, "Gay Blood Boners". Fuck you, brain [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Read title as X shitpost" - Craptasket))[/highlight]

Still a time limit? Because only gay people get STDs and donated blood totally isn't checked for bloodborne diseases whatsoever.

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46781712]Still a time limit? Because only gay people get STDs and donated blood totally isn't checked for bloodborne diseases whatsoever.[/QUOTE] You'd be surprised. There's some sketchy-ass "blood donation centers" that'll sell unchecked blood to hospitals for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

lmfao how can you tell if a man has had sex with another man anyways "uh sorry sir our scanners show that you have touched penises with someone else recently, please leave"

Finally, an organization that's supposed to work off of factual/scientific methodologies is lifting a ban that clearly had an agenda and not much scientific means behind it originally.

I'm imagining all the scummy workers that will dispose of the 'gay blood'.

It's still insulting.

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46781712]Still a time limit? Because only gay people get STDs and donated blood totally isn't checked for bloodborne diseases whatsoever.[/QUOTE] It takes a while for the body to produce traceable antibodies which can be used to detect HIV in blood. It makes sense for them to put a ban on [I]people[/I] who have been sexually active in the past three months.

[QUOTE=Limed00d;46781730]lmfao how can you tell if a man has had sex with another man anyways "uh sorry sir our scanners show that you have touched penises with someone else recently, please leave"[/QUOTE] You could lie, you're right. The problem here though is that gay people shouldn't have to lie about who they are.

[QUOTE=Limed00d;46781730]lmfao how can you tell if a man has had sex with another man anyways "uh sorry sir our scanners show that you have touched penises with someone else recently, please leave"[/QUOTE] As someone who donated blood last year, I can tell you They ask. I got a form with a bunch of checkboxes, one of them literally said "Have you had anal or oral sex with a man in the last 5 years?"

[QUOTE=Magman77;46781800]It takes a while for the body to produce traceable antibodies which can be used to detect HIV in blood. It makes sense for them to put a ban on [I]people[/I] who have been sexually active in the past three months.[/QUOTE] As long as it would applies to everyone

[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;46781835]As long as it would applies to everyone[/QUOTE] Right. The limit on sexual orientation doesn't really make sense.

[QUOTE=Limed00d;46781708]it was a stupid ban and I can't wait for it to be removed completely. gays aren't the only ones getting aids you know[/QUOTE] They disproportionately are the ones getting AIDS though. There's a reason for the ban, it's not some homophobic rule, its a safety precaution.

There is a bias, but heterosexual people are equally vulnerable so it would still make sense for there to be at least a three month limit for sexual activity on people of all orientations.

[QUOTE=Magman77;46781858]There is a bias, but heterosexual people are equally vulnerable so it would still make sense for there to be at least a three month limit on people of all orientations.[/QUOTE] Not really. They are equally vulnerable in the sense of contracting it with direct contact. But the probability of them coming in contact is much lower.

in order to donate, you have to have been celibate in the last year? you might as well completely leave them out then -- people who are donating blood tend to be younger and more virile, so on the off chance that a potential donor is going to give up being able to get laid means that people who actually fall under these requirements are going to be few and far in-between. seriously, who's going to legitimately clock in a year of celibacy just to donate blood? it's still completely ridiculous.

I'm not saying there isn't a lot of HIV positive heterosexual people, but the overwhelming majority of people who have AIDS in the US are gay. [editline]23rd December 2014[/editline] I would imagine it is like that in most developed nations as well.

[QUOTE=aznz888;46781878]in order to donate, you have to have been celibate in the last year? you might as well completely leave them out then -- people who are donating blood tend to be younger and more virile, so on the off chance that a potential donor is going to give up being able to get laid means that people who actually fall under these requirements are going to be few and far in-between. seriously, who's going to legitimately clock in a year of celibacy just to donate blood? it's still completely ridiculous.[/QUOTE] It's probably going to be people like me donating whose sex lives are comprised entirely of dildos and jerking off. [editline]23rd December 2014[/editline] [QUOTE=BusterBluth;46781883]I'm not saying there isn't a lot of HIV positive heterosexual people, but the overwhelming majority of people who have AIDS in the US are gay. [editline]23rd December 2014[/editline] I would imagine it is like that in most developed nations as well.[/QUOTE] I agree, and I've never donated blood before so I don't know what the typical restrictions are. As far as I am aware, a minimum of six weeks is required for HIV antibodies to become traceable, so it's probably a safe bet that that limitation applies to heterosexuals.

Hopefully the same happens in Canada as well, not that I'd donate my superior master-race AB+ blood anyways.

[QUOTE=BusterBluth;46781845]They disproportionately are the ones getting AIDS though. There's a reason for the ban, it's not some homophobic rule, its a safety precaution.[/QUOTE] -snip- Whoops, should research better before I make a knowledge claim like that. Still, the ban obviously had an agenda behind it. Edit: Four people posted to correct me in the space of three minutes. At least stopping misinformation is a priority here.

[QUOTE=aznz888;46781878]in order to donate, you have to have been celibate in the last year? you might as well completely leave them out then -- people who are donating blood tend to be younger and more virile, so on the off chance that a potential donor is going to give up being able to get laid means that people who actually fall under these requirements are going to be few and far in-between. seriously, who's going to legitimately clock in a year of celibacy just to donate blood? it's still completely ridiculous.[/QUOTE] Even if you partook in sexual activity over a year ago from which you contracted AIDS, you're still gonna have AIDS over a year later. They still test your blood for everything under the sun before they would actually use it for anything, and I seriously doubt there is anyone who has AIDS and is hellbent on getting their infected blood into the system enough to lie their way through the paperwork and process, just to get a letter later saying the blood was tainted and was destroyed.

[QUOTE=DiscoMelon;46781917]That's not true at all.[/QUOTE] Are we running on 80s information?

[img]http://i.imgur.com/1o3BQr4.png[/img] The homosexual community's attitude towards HIV is frankly terrible and all this talk about discrimination just seems like a smokescreen to deflect from the real issue. The glaring red issue. With flashing lights. And a siren.

[QUOTE=DiscoMelon;46781917]That's not true at all.[/QUOTE] No it really is [url]http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/gender/msm/facts/[/url]

[QUOTE=DiscoMelon;46781917]That's not true at all.[/QUOTE] It is true though. Gay couples don't use condoms as often as straight couples because they see no risk of pregnancy, so they fuck each other raw and spread STDs like crazy. People forget condoms protect from STDs in addition to preventing pregnancies.

[QUOTE=DiscoMelon;46781917]Still, the ban obviously had an agenda behind it.[/QUOTE] Similar bans are in place in a lot of national blood donation schemes all of the world.

[QUOTE=EditOutJ;46782018]Similar bans are in place in a lot of national blood donation schemes all of the world.[/QUOTE] But it doesn't necessarily mean that the ban is justified though. That said, discriminatory or not you're probably right, it is unlikely that the ban was instated solely to oppress people.

[QUOTE=KillerJaguar;46781972]It is true though. [B]Gay couples don't use condoms as often as straight couples because they see no risk of pregnancy, so they fuck each other raw and spread STDs like crazy. [/B]People forget condoms protect from STDs in addition to preventing pregnancies.[/QUOTE] Slight bit of a generalisation, isn't it? I'm tired of this attitude that homosexuals are rampant sex addicts with no regard for personal safety and the safety of others. Yes, you do get irresponsible people who don't use protection - you get the same kinds of people in the straight community. For as long as I have sex at least once a year, I will never be able to give blood until these rules are overturned. It doesn't matter that I'm responsible and use protection, all that matters is the fact that they assume I'll get AIDS if I have regular intercourse (this being classed as once a year). I don't personally know any homosexuals who don't practice safe sex, yet stereotypes and gay fear from the 1980s prevent people from potentially saving lives. This isn't necessarily directed at you, but rather to society in general.