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Drug Agency Reaffirms Ban on Gay Men Giving Blood

WASHINGTON, May 23 (AP) — Gay men remain barred from donating blood, the government said Wednesday, leaving in place a 1983 prohibition meant to prevent the spread of H.I.V. through transfusions.

The Food and Drug Administration reaffirmed the policy on its Web site on Wednesday, more than a year after the Red Cross and two other blood groups criticized the ban as “medically and scientifically unwarranted.”

“I am disappointed, I must confess,” said Dr. Celso Bianco, executive vice president of America’s Blood Centers, whose members provide nearly half the nation’s blood supply.

Before giving blood, all men are asked if they have had sex, even once, with another man since 1977, when the AIDS epidemic began in the United States, according to the drug agency. Those who say they have are barred from donating. The drug agency says those men are at increased risk of infection by H.I.V., which can be transmitted by blood transfusion. Anyone who has used intravenous drugs or been paid for sex is also permanently barred from donating blood.

In March 2006, the Red Cross, the international blood association AABB and America’s Blood Centers proposed replacing the lifetime ban with a one-year deferral after male-to-male sexual contact. New and improved tests, which can detect H.I.V.-positive donors within 10 to 21 days of infection, make the lifetime ban unnecessary, the blood groups told the F.D.A.

In a document posted Wednesday, the drug agency said it would change its policy if it received data proving that doing so would not pose a “significant and preventable” risk to blood recipients.

The agency said the H.I.V. tests now in use were highly accurate, but still could not detect the virus 100 percent of the time. The estimated H.I.V. risk from a unit of blood is about one per two million in the United States, according to the agency.

Critics of the exclusionary policy say it bars potential healthy donors, despite the increasing need for donated blood, and discriminates against gay men. The F.D.A. acknowledges that the restriction means many healthy donors cannot give blood, but rejected the suggestion that the policy was discriminatory.

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What a crock of shit this is. Send the FDA a strongly worded email telling them what bigoted assholes they are. I did :)

The newest member of the Costa Crew

RIZZO!

Summertime, and the livin's easy

How much did you pay for your rock-n-roll tee shirt that proves you were there; that you heard of them first

Paul got me hooked on this comic. I've been reading it for two days straight.

She had two hairs upon her head, one was black and the other was red

My daughter was born with a massive amount of silky hair. I imagined all the bows, ribbons, barrettes and decorations I could bestowe upon her tresses. Ahhh, I love having a girl.

But then all her hair fell out before she was a month old. I never got the chance to use so much as a headband.

Until today!



"Um, mom. For real. This palmtree-looking-thing on my head has GOT to go. It's like, so 1987"

But what is the other 12%

You Are 88% Democrat

You are a card carrying Democrat, and a pretty far left one at that! There's no chance anyone would ever mistake you for a Republican.

How Democrat Are You?