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| Gay Blood; I ain't for it. | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 26 2011, 06:28 PM (1,093 Views) | |
| Jolly | Jul 26 2011, 06:28 PM Post #1 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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http://www.nationaljournal.com/healthcare/u-s-to-take-another-look-at-gay-blood-donation-ban-20110726 |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| Red Rice | Jul 26 2011, 06:36 PM Post #2 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Not a bad idea to re-examine the policy, as long as safety is not compromised for political correctness. |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| Jolly | Jul 26 2011, 06:47 PM Post #3 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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Don't think you can get past the infection rate. Which is a major reason I don't like paid donors. |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| jon-nyc | Jul 27 2011, 12:10 AM Post #4 |
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Cheers
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How do you know if your blood is gay? |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| apple | Jul 27 2011, 03:37 AM Post #5 |
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one of the angels
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why would you state that publicly here, knowing some of us are gay? I cannot give blood anymore because I have cancer. wish I could. Edited by apple, Jul 27 2011, 03:38 AM.
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| it behooves me to behold | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 27 2011, 05:16 AM Post #6 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Unfortunately the statistics on HIV infection rates, if accurate, speak for themselves. From the article:
From the CDC website:
Now, it needs to be noted that there are a whole lot of reasons people can't give blood, and a whole lot of disqualifiers. I don't care what the politically correct situation is or the group involved, it seems to me this is a prudent one. The blood supply needs to be protected. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Renauda | Jul 27 2011, 05:32 AM Post #7 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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I have never heard of paid blood donors. |
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| jon-nyc | Jul 27 2011, 05:33 AM Post #8 |
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Cheers
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We have paid plasma donors here (it was a common thing to do in my college town). I've never heard of paid blood donors either, though maybe they do it for rare types. |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| Red Rice | Jul 27 2011, 05:36 AM Post #9 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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My understanding is that paid blood donation (as opposed to plasma donation) is illegal in the US. |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 27 2011, 05:36 AM Post #10 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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It's quite prevalent in military towns. Lots of healthy young men needing a few bucks. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Larry | Jul 27 2011, 06:08 AM Post #11 |
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Mmmmmmm, pie!
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I have seen drunks, homeless, and some of the scuzziest looking examples of humanity one could possibly see outside a criminal court lined up at blood banks. I have no idea if they're donating blood or plasma. I just know that I hope I never need blood.. |
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Of the Pokatwat Tribe | |
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| Jolly | Jul 27 2011, 04:01 PM Post #12 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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You are correct. The plasma from paid plasma donors in the U.S. is used by pharmaceutical companies. Some countries do have paid donors, though. |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| Jolly | Jul 27 2011, 04:03 PM Post #13 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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Because it's a big deal. You would sacrifice the safety of the blood supply for political correctness? |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 27 2011, 04:42 PM Post #14 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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People are excluded from various treatments, programs and donor status for many, many things, all based on conditions that make them statistically undesirable for the question at hand. There is no moral judgement being applied, apple. Just science. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| apple | Jul 27 2011, 06:09 PM Post #15 |
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one of the angels
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they do deny the opportunity to donate to hiv positive potential donors... That should be enough to make our blood supply safe... I don't think you need to worry tho.. blood is tested for HIV and discarded if it is detected. If you still are concerned you can bank your own blood. |
| it behooves me to behold | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 27 2011, 06:24 PM Post #16 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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The problem with that approach is that new infections cannot always be detected and new infections occur far more in that population. A unit of blood with no preservatives can be kept refrigerated for 35 days. With the addition of an anti-clotting agent, shelf life can be extended to 42 days. Platelets can only be stored for 5 days. Other components such as fresh frozen plasma and cryoprecipitate can be frozen for use up to one year. What you'd have to do is retest all donations six weeks later, which is the end of the shelf life of blood. What will happen is that more people will contract HIV from transfusions and that is an unacceptable risk. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 27 2011, 06:35 PM Post #17 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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A little research shows that 16 millions pints of blood are donated each year. It is estimated that 219,000 additional pints might be made available if gay men were permitted to donate. About 1.4%. Additionally, only 38% of the US population is currently eligible to donate, so clearly gays are not being singled out. This is all about political correctness and nothing about the blood supply. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Dewey | Jul 27 2011, 06:53 PM Post #18 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Are we routinely running short of blood? If so, we should look at easing the ban on the least risky donors, whether that's gay donors or currently banned donors in other categories. I would hate to think lives are being lost due to inadequate blood supply because we're being too restrictive. It isn't only a question of whether additional people may become infected with HIV - an extremely slight possibility, and to be blunt, a disease that a person can live a pretty normal life with for many decades. It's also a question of whether we are causing actual deaths due to inadequate blood supply. If we aren't routinely running low on blood, I personally think the ban should be eased, but I'm not too worked up over it. But the issue makes me wonder - would we change our current standard in wartime, when we needed much, much more blood? I would hope so. Would we end up seeing a version of the old M*A*S*H episode where the soldier didn't want a transfusion of any "black blood?" I'd sure hope not. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| Mikhailoh | Jul 27 2011, 07:04 PM Post #19 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Really? You see HIV infection as something people can live a relatively normal life with? With bills of up to $15K a year for the drug cocktails, the side effects of those drugs and the lack of certainty that the drugs will work for you? That is not what I would consider normal. First do no harm. |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Jolly | Jul 27 2011, 07:50 PM Post #20 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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Let me tell you a dirty little secret...there is a window whereby ELISA or chemilluminescent screening technology will not detect a new HIV infection. Ditto for HbsAG or HCV. It's a tiny window, but it does exist. How many viral copies does it take to cause infection? I'm not sure and I don't think anybody has a definitive answer. That's why they ask the questions at a donor drive...it's not because they want to know all the private details of your life, but the AABB demands that our blood supply be as safe as humanly possible, which excludes certain behaviors which increase risk. I don't much give a damn about somebody's feelings, as long as some doc doesn't have to call a patient in two years after a procedure and tell them there's a good chance the blood they received post-op may have been HIV positive. And it's not going to be just one patient...no, that one tainted unit may be processed into packed cells, FFP, platelets and cryoprecipitate. A lot of what we have done in our response to HIV, has been more about the politics than the medicine. |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| Jolly | Jul 27 2011, 07:54 PM Post #21 |
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Geaux Tigers!
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Medicine has progressed to the point people can live longer with HIV. But one-by-one, the medicines fail. If something else doesn't get them first, HIV is still 100% fatal, as far as I know. |
| The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros | |
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| Dewey | Jul 27 2011, 08:18 PM Post #22 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Life is 100% fatal. Eventually, every doctor loses every single patient. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| Dewey | Jul 27 2011, 08:23 PM Post #23 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Yes, Mik, I consider the lives of HIV+ individuals to be relatively normal - in most cases, perhaps surprisingly so. And I've got a bit of experience with this, having been the head of an organization responsible for obtaining the ARV meds for HIV+ kids at a time when they were *really* expensive, and watching them now living very normal, happy lives. And while they have concerns, those concerns are far and away less intrusive than death. If I had to make a choice of my daughter dying from a lack of blood, and my daughter living the rest of her life HIV+ but still actually living, there is no question which I would choose. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| Red Rice | Jul 27 2011, 08:47 PM Post #24 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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I would agree with your point if every case involving the transfusion of blood products was an urgent case of life or death. But there are many reasons for blood product transfusions that aren't so dire, and in those cases the risk of HIV infection would be much less acceptable. |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| Dewey | Jul 27 2011, 09:45 PM Post #25 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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I agree, which - I think I need to repeat, since it seems to be getting lost - is why I said that unless there were some dire shortage of blood supply, I don't have any real issue with the current restrictions in place. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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4:51 PM Jul 10