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The blood debate continues

By Gay, Health, Thinking3 Comments

I recently read this Pink News article entitled “Government defends ban on gay men giving blood”.

Ms Primarolo, the Minister of State for Public Health, said:

“Current policy excludes men who have ever had sex with men, whatever their sexual orientation, from blood donation.

“The United Kingdom adopts a highly precautionary approach to blood safety.

“The guiding principle is that if the best available evidence shows that there are reasonable grounds to believe that a course of action will improve the safety of the blood, this action should be taken.

“The Department is committed to regularly reviewing this evidence, and has asked its expert advisory committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs to do this in 2009.”
(from: Pink News Last accessed: 12th February 09)

So let’s look at the debate For & Against

For

  • The National Blood Service (NBS) test the blood for HIV and other infections anyway.
  • There have been massive HIV education and safe sex initiatives nationally aimed at the gay community generally as well as specific ones aimed at men who have sex with men. (This is easily visable if you walk in to any gay bar – all will have condoms.)
  • The evidence base that the National Blood Service (NBS) use to justify the ban is out of date. (If you email them – they will send you the related evidence.) In addition to this you can use evidence base to prove almost anything by selecting the evidence that demonstrates what you wish it too.
  • Recently HIV rates have increased and continue to do so in hetrosexuals (see Hetrosexual HIV Cases Show An Increase). Despite this they have not banned Hetrosexuals. This point justifies my next:
  • Hetrosexuals can be as sexually risky as men whom have sex with men.
  • Why a life time ban? What if you are a man that’s had sex with a man but had a HIV (and other STI’s tests) that have all come back negative. These men are still unable to give blood, even though they have been screened as negative (and may not have had sex since).
  • Equality. The Goods and Services Legislation (2007) state that people should not be excluded from services because of their sexual orintation. The NBS is a service and is excluding men that have sex with men (of which a large proporation identify as gay or bisexual) because of the very fact of their sexual orintation.
  • The final reason relates to the fact that there is a storage of blood donors and blood. The NBS is excluding a whole community of people when there is a shortage of both donors and blood. This doesn’t make sense to me. I mean they test the blood (and/or it’s components) anyway.

    • Against

  • The safety of the blood. Men who have sex with men are at a higher risk of HIV infection.
  • Men who have sex with men are a minority group. A much smaller community than the mainstream community. Therefore the HIV transmittion is likely to spread through a smaller community quicker as men are more likely to come in to contact with a HIV positive person.

    • Thinking about it I think the NBS are hiding behind the “safety of the blood” statement. They refuse to recognise that as men who have sex with men are a smaller group and as such their rates of HIV transmittion are always going to be higher than that of a much larger community.

    Interesting linka:
    Facts missing in HIV-blood debate
    NBS – Position Statement
    PETER TATCHELL says the ban on gay blood donors is based on homophobic myths that stereotype and demonise gay men.
    NUS – LGBT Donation not discrimination
    My Telegraph – Mike Rouse

    The last link My Telegraph – Mike Rouse, relates to a online petition to the Prime Ministers No. 10 site that I signed (see No. 10 Petitions). A total of 5,234 signatures signed the petition at the time. But I think we didn’t have a massive response as many people in the hetrosexual world are totally unaware of this ban.

    This post demonstrates that there aren’t many reasons against why men who have sex with men giving blood, yet there are many reasons for men who have sex with men to give blood.

    Just food for thought,

    Antony

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    Monday 16 February 2009

    Dear Madonna*

    By Life, Money / Finances, Music & Radio, ThinkingNo Comments

    I am in conflict which you are at the very centre of. You see as a gay man I am suppose to worship you. I am suppose to love you and your music. I want to come to see you at your up-coming tour. Indeed you are giving me the opportunity by playing at the MEN arena. I want to be there. I want to be front centre stage and for you to give me the opportunity to kiss your black knee high boot.

    I don’t know if your aware but there is a credit cruch here in the UK? This basically means we are all broke. And yet you choose to charge £175-£75 per ticket. Now, I know you need to make a diva living. But do you really need to make this much hard-cold-cash out of us? I mean there are thousands of seats (I was unable to establish exactually how many), so you do the math.

    So there’s the conflict. You verus your greed. So I am sorry my worshipable Madonna, but I shall not be coming to kiss your boot.

    * Title creately stole from Dawn French’s Dear Fatty

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    Saturday 7 February 2009

    Influential Me?

    By Life, Rants, Thinking2 Comments

    My recent post Maintaining Motivation has influenced readers it seems.

    Firstly if you see the comments under this post you will see that it has inspired Mike to come up with goals for 2009.
    My response: Good. Good. Go for it guy!

    Secondly it has inspired my good friend Sye to write a post on his blog entited RE: Motivation.
    My response: Get the bloddy worksheet done!

    Take care all,

    Antony

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    Friday 6 February 2009

    Ups and Downs

    By Friends & Family, Health, Life, Love & Relationships, Paganism, Shopping, Technology, Thinking2 Comments

    The weekend started really on Saturday. David and I had arranged to have a chat following the weekend prior (see Job Interview & David).

    I had picked up my new BlackBerry Storm (see The phone we forgot) prior to setting out to drive to his, an Up. The Down about this was that as I had choose to keep my existing mobile number I had to wait for the PAC to transfer over, so the handset was unusable for 72 hours.

    David jumped in the car to help me find parking. Once we had found it, we had to stay with the car until we were allowed to legally park there. David was initially closed. I had come open minded, but still with the one thought: that I am fed up arguing.

    But what I didn’t count on was how I’d react and connect to David’s addictive energy once again. We ended up going out shopping (bought this fantastic t-shirt, I will have to post a pic!) and for a meal in the evening. The day and evening was amazing (Up), but somehow we didn’t manage to discuss the argument (a definite Down).

    Sunday I head back home. I had promised my friend a reiki session (see Reiki one – Qualified) and had to prepare. I had a bath were I cleansed, protected and grounded my energies. I put some reiki healing energy in to some candles and collected my oils, the burner, the reiki-ed candles, crystals, etc. together.

    The great thing about a reiki session is that you as the practitioner also get a reiki treatment too, so add that to the reiki I had done in the bath (cleansing, protecting & grounding) and I had a total of 2 reiki treatments. A definite Up.

    Reiki is a stress-relief energy treatment. For more about how to destress please see my Relaxation post.

    I would like to thank my friend for allowing me to give him some reiki treatment and for the nice food he bought me afterwards. Food is always a Up.

    So that was my weekend, definitely more Ups than Downs!

    Publish more soon,

    Antony

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    Wednesday 28 January 2009
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