Millions Of People Excluded From Donating Blood

However, the following need not apply.
The Red Cross has an eligibility criteria for donating blood, which is a good thing. They want to make sure that people are safe while donating and that the blood being collected is safe for distribution. This is all very sensible.

However, there are a few criteria items that when you look at it really are just fucking silly. The first being that their policy excludes gay men from donating. This is the line in the criteria for donating blood that keeps yours truly from being allowed to donate blood:

-- are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977 (source: American Red Cross)

The list then goes on to say you are also ineligible to donate if:

-- have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone that:

-- used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by a doctor
-- is a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
-- ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977

Now, I have a question. Shouldn't this exclude a large segment of the population as well? The way I see it many men and women cannot answer this question with 100% certainty.

How many women engaging in heterosexual sex ask their partner(s), "Hey, you ever had sex with a man, pimped yourself out, or shot up?" I would guess less than 15% of women ask this question.

The same goes for heterosexual men. I would guess .02% of men have asked their female sex partners the same question. Most men are pigs and just need hole and a heartbeat.

So, when men and women are asked this by the nurse, in all honesty most of them would have to say, "Not that I am aware of." or "I've never asked that question of my sex partners." Thereby, making them ineligible because they don't know the answer.

Oh and if you are from Africa, or had sex with someone from Africa, you can just forget about getting juice and cookies on that day, after helping out the blood bank.

Am I wrong in coming to this conclusion?

BTW, thanks Todd for bringing up this issue, while still encouraging people to donate. You gave me a post item. Oh, and Todd I had another snowday on Friday (Todd just growled people.).