The possibility of homosexuals being allowed to donate blood varies from country to country, but still remains a controversial issue for each nation. The reason that homosexuals are often not allowed to give blood is a precautionary step that limits the chance of donated blood containing blood-borne diseases that include HIV and hepatitis to be transferred from patient to patient. Statistics show that blood-borne diseases are mostly prevalent in the Western World through unprotected male on male sex, and so the ban on blood donations does not include lesbians and people in heterosexual relationships. Many homosexuals call these restrictions an act of homophobia to exclude gay people from donating their own blood, a view they feel is outdated in modern society, especially when blood reserves are constantly running low. The law in the UK states that a man has to declare that he has not had unprotected sex with a man in the last year after the 2011 law change, as well as other activities labelled 'high risk'. However in countries such as the USA, Germany and Ireland, it's still illegal for gay men to donate blood, whatever their lifestyle choices, which makes this a pressing issue for a world with a now liberal attitude towards homosexuality.
The primary reason why homosexuals have been prevented from giving blood is to reduce the risk of transmitting common blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis. Obviously if diseases as serious as those were to enter national blood banks then the cost would be catastrophic to say the least, which is why governments are so unwilling to let homosexuals potentially contaminate their already limited supply. An outright ban seemed the right solution when the world knew very little about the HIV virus, but now science has progressed to make people more aware of the disease more can be done in the Western World to reduce its transmission. Recent figures from the America 'HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report' suggest that people engaging in high risk sexual activity made up 49% of new cases, despite making up just 12% of the total population. These statistics do indicate that there are other significant ways in which blood-borne diseases can be transmitted through donations, and maybe it's the sexually active members of the population that should be prevented from giving blood instead of just a certain sexuality. It does have to be said that donated blood is always screened for diseases before storage, and thankfully this process has a high success rate, although cannot detect HIV positive samples if the virus is in its early stages. This is the reason why homosexuals cannot be sexually active a year prior in the UK, but doesn't explain why other countries choose to have blanket ban on all homosexuals.
(The dark red shows areas where there is a permanent ban. The red indicates various restrictions, and the lighter red indicates no bans are in place.)
Objections to the blanket ban come from the usual groups that are campaigning for equality, but more objections come from organisations such as The Red Cross regarding practicality. Blood banks are often running low on reserves, and this could be easily rectified if blood donations were more inclusive. The Red Cross claim that techniques are now advanced enough to detect HIV, which limits the risk of an infection spreading. It seems to me that in reality this argument is about balancing risk and reward, and not gender equality like the majority of activists claim. Still, it's always felt odd to me that a heterosexual who has unprotected sex regularly is allowed to donate blood, yet a homosexual who has protected sex on rare occasions isn't. I wouldn't say this was flat out discrimination, but I do believe science has progressed far enough to relinquish the precautionary blanket ban on a certain sexuality.
Certainly the decision by the UK to change deferrals to one year was a calculated risk that required years of research before being put into action. The process seems to be working, and as of 2011 there have been no serious incidents of blood-borne viruses making their way into other patients through blood transfusions. The statistics supplied by the 'Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs' stated that a one year deferral would only have a 2% increase in the risk of HIV. That does sound an alarming statistic, but when you consider that the original risk of transmission was one in every 4.41 million samples, then it becomes a tiny proportion. In contrast the committee predicted that if homosexuals were allowed to give blood then that figure would rise 60% to one in 3.48 million samples being contaminated. These statistics prove to me that a one year deferral is imperative to allow harmful diseases to be identified by scans, dramatically decreasing the risks involved. I think the 2% risk is necessary if more homosexuals are allowed to donate their highly sought after assets, without risking the chances of their infected blood not being detectable.
I think it should also be considered that the government doesn't exclude homosexuals on purpose, and actually restricts blood donations from people it deems as 'high risk'. Although this is determined by trust alone, the UK government is able to restrict the ability to give blood to those who have shared needles, worked or had sex with a prostitute, or by operating in less developed countries among other variables. It's clear to me that this is simply not another way of targeting homosexuals and actually a reasonable precaution. At the end of the day it boils down to whether the need for blood is higher than the risk that blood samples could be contaminated, which thanks to science is a lower risk every year. Maybe in the near future every person will be able to give blood, but for now the restrictions in the UK should stay as they are. I don't support a total ban, but pissing off a few pressure groups to ensure donated blood is safe is something that needs to continue.
If you do want to sign the petition for no restrictions on donations then the link is here:
https://www.change.org/p/uk-uk-government-apply-the-same-regulations-to-all-those-donating-blood-regardless-of-sexuality?recruiter=false&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_page&utm_term=des-lg-supporter_signature_milestone_email-no_msg&fb_ref=Default
No comments:
Post a Comment