Vote totals:
Yes:
86%
No:
0%
Neutral:
14%
DEBATE: "MEN WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH MEN" SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GIVE BLOOD
"MEN WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH MEN" SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GIVE BLOOD
Homosexual men are at as much risk of HIV as any other person when protection is used
Men who have had sex with other men, even if it was only on one occasion, are prohibited from giving blood on the grounds that they are more likely to be carrying HIV. Remember, HIV is not exclusive to homosexuals – it affects straight people as well, and there are no restrictions on if they can give blood. Homosexuals are even prohibited from giving blood if they have used protection, such as a condom, which prevents the transmission of the HIV virus. A straight person is not forbidden if he has had unprotected sex, so there is no reason why a man, if he has had sex with another man using protection, should be forbidden from giving blood. Such measures assume all gay men have HIV.
The fact remains that HIV and STI rates amongst homosexual men are incredibly high, with 2,600 new cases last year alone. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7318346.stm) Statistically speaking, gay men are a high-risk group and it is dangerous to take blood from them. HIV sometimes does not show up in tests for up to three months after contact with the virus and so HIV could slip into the system undetected.
"MEN WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH MEN" SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GIVE BLOOD
Blood is screened anyway
Blood is screened for HIV regardless of the donor. This has to happen for obvious reasons. This being so, the argument that homosexual men are more likely to carry HIV and therefore should not give blood cannot stand up, because any blood from homosexuals would be screened anyway.
HIV screening costs money. It is a drain on resources to have to carry out the extra tests required on suspect blood, which the blood of men who have had sex with men would require. If then the blood is confirmed to be HIV positive, it has to be discarded, making the money spent useless. Economically speaking, it is better to prohibit homosexual men from giving blood than to take the blood and spend more on testing.
"MEN WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH MEN" SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GIVE BLOOD
Labeling gay men a "high risk group" is disingenuous, if the same standards are not applied to other "high risk groups."
According to the CDC, 49% of HIV/AIDS cases in the USA are African-American, but no one would countenance refusing to allow African-Americans to donate blood.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/hispanics/resources/factsheets/hispanic.htm
"MEN WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH MEN" SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GIVE BLOOD
"MEN WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH MEN" SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GIVE BLOOD
(Stop posting on the wrong side!)
