Healthy homosexuals should donate blood too

Mar 25 2009 - 9:23pm | Ammie Jimenez

 The Bloodmobile will be stationed in The Quad throughout the semester awaiting good citizens who are willing to donate blood. It is a worthy cause and something everyone should consider participating in. Unfortunately, simply wanting to donate blood might not be enough for some people.

Shocking as it might be, especially in this day and age, perfectly healthy and willing individuals are banned from donating blood because of their sexual orientation. Men who admit to having had sexual relations with the same sex are placed under a lifelong ban by the Food and Drug Administration and are not allowed to donate blood.

This may sound crazy, but it is true. The ban was placed during the 1980s, when very little was known about HIV, to protect the recipients of the donated blood. The rule was established out of ignorance of the virus and an intention of protection. But times have changed. The continuation of this ban is not only unfair, but foolhardy.

More importantly, this ban does not help the real problem of blood shortages. It seems ironic to ask for blood donations out of high demand and to ban people with no health problems from donating. There is a page about the Texas State Blood Drive on the university’s Web site. The writing clearly entails the massive amounts of blood needed to stock the Blood Center.

According to the Web site, the Center needs to collect more than 55,000 blood donations each year to have blood products available for 150,000 area patients. Knowing this, how is it possible the antiquated ban is still in place? It’s ridiculous and foolish to allow such a rule to keep out willing donors from providing lifesaving blood.

The issue goes beyond personal beliefs about homosexuals. The problem of denying these men the ability to donate lowers the chances of those who may someday be fighting to survive. According to an article published on the News 8 Austin Web site Tuesday, it is explained how urgent the demand for blood has become in Central Texas.

According to the News 8 Austin Web site, there are currently about 92 units of blood on the shelves at the Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas. The Web site also explains that to operate efficiently and effectively, the center needs another 400 to 500 donations. The problem is serious and has to be dealt with immediately. The only way for our blood and tissue centers to stay stocked with enough supplies is to ensure everyone who is willing and in good health is allowed to donate. Sexual orientation should not determine eligibility to help someone in need.

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