France is lifting its ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men
16 replies, posted
Source: [url]http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/4/9669240/france-lifting-ban-gay-bisexual-blood-donations[/url]
[QUOTE]Beginning in the spring, blood donations will be open to men who've refrained from sexual activity with other men for 12 months.[/QUOTE]
Why was it banned? HIV scare?
[editline]4th November 2015[/editline]
Ah yeah that's what it was.
Oh that's awesome! I would have donated anyway if it weren't for this ban.
[QUOTE=DropDeadTed;49050005]Why was it banned? HIV scare?
[editline]4th November 2015[/editline]
Ah yeah that's what it was.[/QUOTE]
They have the same thing here in Australia. I know gay guys who donate anyway and just lie.
In the end the ban is basically just security theatre anyway. While overall gay men are definitely more at risk of having HIV, a gay man engaging in no risky behaviour is still going to be less likely to have HIV than a straight man who is. In the end, the system just takes people on their word so what's the point in having such a strict restriction? Modern tests performed on blood can detect HIV within a few days of the person being infected anyway. It isn't invisible for months like it used to be.
Good for them, but it's still bigoted to ban people who have had sex in the past year just because of the orientation.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;49050121]In the end the ban is basically just security theatre anyway. While overall gay men are definitely more at risk of having HIV, a gay man engaging in no risky behaviour is still going to be less likely to have HIV than a straight man who is. In the end, the system just takes people on their word so what's the point in having such a strict restriction? Modern tests performed on blood can detect HIV within a few days of the person being infected anyway. It isn't invisible for months like it used to be.[/QUOTE]
All blood gets tested anyway.
[QUOTE=download;49050231]All blood gets tested anyway.[/QUOTE]
Well, It's pretty much blood for the blood bank. But there are some that manage to get passed because of bad testing and so on.
[QUOTE=Zeke129;49050121]In the end the ban is basically just security theatre anyway. While overall gay men are definitely more at risk of having HIV, a gay man engaging in no risky behaviour is still going to be less likely to have HIV than a straight man who is. In the end, the system just takes people on their word so what's the point in having such a strict restriction? Modern tests performed on blood can detect HIV within a few days of the person being infected anyway. It isn't invisible for months like it used to be.[/QUOTE]
Honestly, it made sense at the time when we still had a limited understanding of HIV. However, its definitely one of those things where its only around still because that's the way its been for decades.
Remember France had a very nasty case of HIV infected blood being used for transfusions.
[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infected_blood_scandal_%28France%29[/url]
The French collective consciousness got hit pretty hard with it and the scare remained for some time.
I think this is because they mix similar blood types together, and if a whole batch of a certain type has HIV or something they need to toss the whole lot.
[QUOTE=Radical_ed;49052592]I think this is because they mix similar blood types together, and if a whole batch of a certain type has HIV or something they need to toss the whole lot.[/QUOTE]
No they don't do that. It's because one piece of HIV blood will ruin someone's life.
[QUOTE=Radical_ed;49052592]I think this is because they mix similar blood types together[/QUOTE]
You do realise how fucking asinine that would be?
[QUOTE=download;49050100]They have the same thing here in Australia. I know gay guys who donate anyway and just lie.[/QUOTE]
How would you check for gayness any ways?
According to the CDC an estimated 18% of all gay and bisexual men in the US have HIV/AIDS and the percent gets larger as age goes up. ([URL]http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/msm/[/URL])
The question should be if the risks outweigh the benefits. It's not really a discrimination issue.
[QUOTE=sgman91;49056764]According to the CDC an estimated 18% of all gay and bisexual men in the US have HIV/AIDS and the percent gets larger as age goes up. ([url]http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/msm/[/url])
The question should be if the risk outweigh the benefit. It's not really a discrimination issue.[/QUOTE]
People like to paint it as a discrimination issue, gay men aren't the only people not allowed to donate blood either.
[QUOTE=sgman91;49056764]According to the CDC an estimated 18% of all gay and bisexual men in the US have HIV/AIDS and the percent gets larger as age goes up. ([URL]http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/msm/[/URL])
The question should be if the risks outweigh the benefits. It's not really a discrimination issue.[/QUOTE]
truth be told i think the french healthcare sector has had much longer to think about that than you have. i'll roll with their decision.
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