Are prisoners allowed to donate blood?

Tefal · 24 Jun 2013 at 18:28

Biohazard said:
All blood is screened.

So why ban the gays?

GhostlyPea · 24 Jun 2013 at 18:35

Lazder said:
because if you get prisoners blood, you will become a prisoner.

Damn it, how did I miss that one!

- GP

The Running Man · 24 Jun 2013 at 18:35

In case one HIV gets through?

Tefal · 24 Jun 2013 at 18:57

The Running Man said:
In case one HIV gets through?

straight people have HIV too.

either it's a statistical thing because only so much blood is actually tested, or it's completely pointless as all blood is tested anyway.

Woden · 24 Jun 2013 at 18:59

Tefal said:
i imagine the amount of screening needed would be excessively high.

Given that the questionnaire still has basically "are you gay/bisexual male" on it, I'm guessing most of it is not screened or else that would be unnecessary.

They screen all blood regardless of the source.

I don't see why not, we need blood and they have it. I used to donate but can't now thanks to medication.

Conservative mode on
But do it as painfully as possible. And don't tell them what it is for, can't have them feeling good about themselves.

Tefal · 24 Jun 2013 at 19:02

Woden said:
They screen all blood regardless of the source.

so again if all blood is screened why exclude certain groups?

Doohickey · 24 Jun 2013 at 19:05

Tefal said:
so again if all blood is screened why exclude certain groups?

http://www.blood.co.uk/can-i-give-blood/who-cant-give-blood/

Or more specifically (if you mean male homosexuals) this (and it's a deferral, rather than an absolute exclusion).
http://www.blood.co.uk/can-i-give-blood/exclusion/

It's because for example with HIV infection, within the first few months of infection, you can still test negative. It's in the interests of safety, given this possibility.

Edit: i.e. this:

http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/current_issues/joint_statement_on_blood_safety.html said:
All blood donations are tested on every occasion for evidence of infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus (HTLV), and syphilis...
... The tests used are now extremely sensitive. However, there is a period just after becoming infected when a donor's blood could test negative yet still pass on the infection to the recipient- this is known as the window period and is one reason why it is so important that a donor is accurate in reporting infection risks e.g. travel.

Woden · 24 Jun 2013 at 19:14

Tefal said:
So why ban the gays?

An old ban that needs to be lifted. Some of the rules are totally arbitrary and make no sense.

I can have some randomer stick pins in me and give blood after 4 months, yet protected sex with another man is 12 months?

You cant give blood if you received blood anything up 33 years ago (1st Jan 1980). 34? That's fine!

Doohickey · 24 Jun 2013 at 19:18

Woden said:
An old ban that needs to be lifted. Some of the rules are totally arbitrary and make no sense.

I can have some randomer stick pins in me and give blood after 4 months, yet protected sex with another man is 12 months?

You cant give blood if you received blood anything up 33 years ago (1st Jan 1980). 34? That's fine!

^ as I say, gay men aren't technically banned. They just can't give blood within 12 months of having sex with another man. So basically frigid/celibate gay men are fine.

Biohazard · 24 Jun 2013 at 19:52

Tefal said:
So why ban the gays?

As far as I know it isn't a blanket ban now, it is more dependent on your sexual history up to one year of sleeping with man unprotected.

I think the original ban had something to do with the higher than average prevailence of HIV amongst the male gay communities in the 80's.

Biohazard · 24 Jun 2013 at 19:52

Woden said:
An old ban that needs to be lifted. Some of the rules are totally arbitrary and make no sense.

I can have some randomer stick pins in me and give blood after 4 months, yet protected sex with another man is 12 months?

You cant give blood if you received blood anything up 33 years ago (1st Jan 1980). 34? That's fine!

The ban isn't in place.

Woden · 24 Jun 2013 at 19:57

Biohazard said:
As far as I know it isn't a blanket ban now, it is more dependent on your sexual history up to one year of sleeping with man unprotected.

I think the original ban had something to do with the higher than average prevailence of HIV amongst the male gay communities in the 80's.

The rules still say "with or without a condom". So even protected sex with a man gets you 12 months exclusion.

Oddly, even though straight black men are at a higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS than average, they are not excluded.

Doohickey · 24 Jun 2013 at 20:02

Woden said:
The rules still say "with or without a condom". So even protected sex with a man gets you 12 months exclusion.

Oddly, even though straight black men are at a higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS than average, they are not excluded.

Yes there's a 12 month deferral after having had sex with another man, but that doesn't mean gays are banned.

Why would straight black men be excluded? Exclusions aren't made on the basis of ~~prevalence~~ race just like that. All samples are tested.
Edit: Sexual contact with people from high risk areas are still taken into account (see below).

Tefal · 24 Jun 2013 at 20:03

Doohickey said:
Yes there's a 12 month deferral after having had sex with another man, but that doesn't mean gays are banned.

well they pretty much are, unless they decide to go over a year without sex....

Why would straight black men be excluded? Exclusions aren't made on the basis of prevalence. All samples are tested.

they are gay people are at a higher risk of HIV, hence the old ban/new exclusion. black men are even more of a risk but you can't say "no giving blood if you've had sex with a black man in 12 months"

Doohickey · 24 Jun 2013 at 20:14

Tefal said:
well they pretty much are, unless they decide to go over a year without sex....

I know, and that's what I said in the other post, but they are not banned per se.

Tefal said:
but you can't say "no giving blood if you've had sex with a black man in 12 months"

Well they sort of do- the 12 month rule still applies to:
"Anyone of any race who has been sexually active in parts of the world where AIDS/HIV is very common. This includes countries in Africa. (Please be aware that if we have previously made special arrangements for you to donate you should check with our 24 hour helpline on 0300 123 23 23 as we have made some changes to our processes)."

Tefal · 24 Jun 2013 at 20:18

no thatsays anyone who has had sex in Africa regardless of race. not all black people have been to Africa.

Doohickey · 24 Jun 2013 at 20:20

Tefal said:
no thatsays anyone who has had sex in Africa regardless of race. not all black people have been to Africa.

Well exactly, this is why they don't say "you can't give blood if you had sex with a black person"...

Twirlywoos · 25 Jun 2013 at 00:30

norm said:
Would you have any moral/ethical dilemmas with it?

when you're in a life and death situation I hardly think anyone would get up from an operation and say "excuse me miss, is that blood from Shovely Joe?"

dowie · 25 Jun 2013 at 00:41

Tefal said:
no thatsays anyone who has had sex in Africa regardless of race. not all black people have been to Africa.

are those black people at a greater risk of having AIDS?

Biohazard · 25 Jun 2013 at 00:43

The restrictions came about from the opposite, lax restrictions (or truth telling) which resulted in many already high risk patients contracting such infections and viruses from infected blood stock brought from US prisons. It was a huge scandal at the time.

Afaik, the UK government is still fighting compensation when it was apparently aware of the source and risks.