Campaigners who support gay movements strongly condemn the discriminations that sexually-active gay men has to face with regard to donating blood.
Campaigners who support the gay movements, strongly condemn the discrimination that sexually-active gay men has to face with regard to donating blood. Their argument is that when heterosexuals have high risk of sex, they have been put to only fewer restrictions.
The campaigners further pointed out that while the heterosexuals posed a short-term ban, the ban for the homosexuals was for a lifetime.However The National Blood Service seems to be clear in their standpoint of the restrictions put on the gay men. They defend the campaigners’ argument by saying that the chances to catch HIV and other infected blood are more with donated blood from gay men than heterosexuals
'We ask men who have had sex with men not to give blood because, as a group, they are known to be at an increased risk of acquiring HIV and a number of other sexually transmitted diseases, many of which are carried in the blood.' A spokesman for the National Blood Service said.
'While safer sex, through the use of condoms, can reduce the risk of transmitting infections, it cannot reduce this risk to such low levels as to make it totally risk-free.' He added.
Russell Hirst, who was denied to give blood to his sister has started this campaign called BlooodBan and is planning to hand over the petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Source-Medindia
SUN/K
