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Post by M. Hawbaker on Jan 27, 2023 22:23:50 GMT
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has lifted a decades-long ban on sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating blood, overruling a restriction dating back to the 1980s AIDS crisis. Updated federal guidelines were announced on Friday, marking a win for LGBTQIA+ rights organizations and experts who have long called the ban discriminatory. The draft guidelines focus on the sexual behaviors of all people — rather than singling out gender and sexual identities — and instead measure the risk of transmitting HIV based on sexual practices alone. nypost.com/2023/01/27/fda-to-lift-ban-on-blood-donation-for-gay-bisexual-men-report/ |
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Post by M. Hawbaker on Jan 27, 2023 22:26:59 GMT
LGBTQ pandering aside, those restrictions were put in place for very good reasons that have not really changed even if new screening methods have slightly reduced the risk of HIV positive blood getting into the system.  |
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Post by barb43 on Jan 28, 2023 18:05:40 GMT
... overruling a restriction dating back to the 1980s AIDS crisis. As if the 1980s were the dark ages. ...and making the grossly negligent assumption that AIDS no longer presents a "crisis".  I wonder if the use of this new collection of drugs that supposedly make it nearly impossible to transmit AIDS also make it nearly impossible to detect the blood donor as an HIV/AIDS carrier? My opinion: Only if we can bank our own blood, or the blood of a family member/close friend who has the same type of blood, will we be reasonably assured of receiving "clean" blood if we need it during a major surgery. |
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Post by M. Hawbaker on Jan 30, 2023 15:17:20 GMT
My opinion: Only if we can bank our own blood, or the blood of a family member/close friend who has the same type of blood, will we be reasonably assured of receiving "clean" blood if we need it during a major surgery. A friend recently brought up another point about blood donations that I hadn't thought of before. She said that she would be reluctant to accept a blood transfusion other than her own stored blood, because she has no way of knowing whether the donor had taken the Covid jab or not. |
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Post by barb43 on Jan 30, 2023 16:20:38 GMT
I totally agree. Funny thing, since the pandemic started, I haven't heard any word or seen any articles on storing your own, or a compatible family member's, blood before you have a scheduled surgery. That used to come up occasionally around these parts, especially as there is often a blood shortage & the Okla Blood Institute is always requesting O- because it is 'the' universal donor-type.
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