Posted on 07/07/2012 7:29:03 AM PDT by markomalley
The American Red Cross says power outages created by recent storms in the East and Midwest cut blood donations, which were already low this summer. In June there was a nationwide shortfall, with donations down more than 10% across the country.
"We are asking people to please call 1-800-RED-CROSS or visit us at redcrossblood.org to find a way to donate if they can," said Stephanie Millian, Red Cross director of biomedical communications. "We need people's help."
One group that would like to help, but legally can't, may be moving one step closer to eligibility. Since the 1980s, when the AIDS epidemic decimated their community, gay men -- or MSMs (men who have sex with men) as they are called by federal agencies -- have not been allowed to donate blood. In June, a group of 64 U.S. legislators led by Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services encouraging it to move forward with a study that may lead to the end of the decades-old ban.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
“Why do homosexuals all of a sudden have this strong desire to give blood in the first place????”
They figure if they can give enough “normal” people AIDS, the government will give more money to AIDS research.
“That might increase the donation rate by about 2%”
Yes, but it will decrease the demand by 50%!
As in, “I’d rather bleed to death than get AIDS from blood donated by homosexuals!”
The total “Supply & Demand” equation will end the shortage immediately.
BTW, the Red Cross won’t take my blood - Malaria, Dengue Fever and (food borne) Hepatitis. It’s a shame, because I have O+. Too bad they can’t sterilize it or something...
How in the hell does allowing 2.8% of population (Gallup, 2011) to give potentially AIDS/HIV infected blood REALLY help the Blood Reserves?!?
I was stationed in Germany 1981-83. I gave blood immediately after 9/11. The mad cow scare came only later and I am banned `until something changes’.
And now faggies will be donating but I can’t?
Is there another blood bank out there I can donate to as a formerly deployed vet? Seriously.
I find it ironic that, while due to the fact that I was stationed in Europe during the 90s, I am permanently banned from donating blood, yet these Demonrats are trying to pollute the nation’s blood supply with HIV-infected blood
Potentially HIV infected.
I’m with you!! This incenses me! For living in Switzerland, during England’s Mad Cow scare, I too am banned in the USA from giving blood FOR LIFE! I was never in England, never ate meat from there, and was pretty much vegetarian at the time anyway. Yet my blood is never to darken the donor door.
I intend to donate in Switzerland, where presumably ALL their blood would be refused by the USA, yet somehow their blood is good enough fr the Swiss.
First allow the blood of people who happened to be in Europe in the early 90s before you allow the gay blood.
See my post right after yours. Maybe you can donate for wounded service people in Germany where you were stationed. This is a stupid rule.
And it isn’t a gay ban. The questionnaire asks men if they have ever had a sexual encounter with another man. Even one. That question kicks you out. So lesbians can donate gallons. :)
If only the billions of queers in this country were allowed to donate blood like they all are chomping at the bit to do, trillions of Americans could be saved. Fluking CNN. No wonder nobody watches that garbage.
I think they will probably test the donors for HIV prior to taking their blood, don’t you?
Welcome FRiend.
“I regret that I have but one screen name [at a time] to sacrifice for my county”
—LomanBill
My sister was having surgery and asked family members to donate blood. However, we were shocked to find out that her medical insurance would not cover the costs of testing to find blood matches or reserving the blood for a specific patient. Did yours? What about medicare patients? Can they have autologous blood donations without incurring the expense?
As long as the gay people in question are disease free, I see no problem with them donating.
You first.
Yeah, me too. Take your pick? Mad cow or AIDS.
Probly better to just bleed out.
Sadly, that idea has been seriously promulgated by the militant AIDS/gay rights crowd. When the myth of a hetero AIDS epidemic did not materialize by the 90s, they openly suggested infecting straight people in order to make AIDS a mainstream disease. Besides getting (more) money for research & treatment their theory is that they can then create the myth that AIDS is not a lifestyle caused disease and remove the stigma.
Unfortunately, because AIDS is a highly politicized disease, far more money has been thrown at it than can realistically accelerate research. Regardless of the amount of funds, this type of medical research can't be sped up past a certain point. No one is allowed to say that out loud in our society. Nonetheless, it is a fact.
And what is beyond the pale here is that this is one of the most preventable epidemics in history. Thousands of people are dying horrible deaths simply because the gay lobby has consistently blunted efforts to educate gay men as well as successfully fighting legal avenues of reducing the behavior that spreads the disease. San Francisco and gay bath houses are a prime example of that.
IMO, and this is despicable beyond words, this makes the gay lobby directly complicit in the slow painful deaths of most AIDS victims.
They do test the blood for HIV (even from people with no risk factors) but that isn’t 100% effective. Apparently there is a period right after infection where the test won’t pick it up.
Lots of people contracted AIDS because of a blood transfusion (Arthur Ashe for one).
Red Cross makes money from donations so it is hard to not follow the money.
Could it be that people just don’t trust the red cross?
you don’t need the red cross to donate blood.
(did anyone find the red cross 9/11 money?)
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