Schumer calls for FDA to remove Europe blood ban

News Radio 88 ^ | 7/29/02

[areafiftyone]

(New York-AP) -- Senator Charles Schumer of New York is asking the Federal Drug Administration to remove its ban on blood imported from Europe.

The FDA enacted a partial ban on the imported blood in May over fears of mad cow disease. That ban will go into full effect in October.

But the Senator says that there has never been a case of someone getting mad cow disease from blood anywhere in the world, so the ban is unnecessary

Extending his own forearm today to help replenish local blood supplies, the democrat said that lagging donations have created a severe decline in blood supplies on hand for emergencies.

While donating blood at New York Blood Center, Schumer told reporters the city avoided a blood crisis after the September Eleventh terrorist attacks. That was because relatively few survivors of the World Trade Center were injured.

Officials say many private citizens and corporate donors contributed to an increased blood supply after September Eleventh but those donations have dropped sharply since.

New York gets 25 percent of its blood supply from Europe, the senator says.

[mewzilla]

So Chuckles thinks it's fine to import blood from Europe?

Okay Chuckie, then maybe you'd care to tell the Red Cross that it's perfectly okay for people here who've spent six months or more in Europe to donate blood again. Cause the last time I checked, it's still verboten. What do you know that they don't, Chuck?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Idiot !

[vetvetdoug]

This is about as stupid as one can get. The outbreak of CJD in Europe is still not contained or identified. Schumer needs to stay with topics he is familiar with, like corporate greed and race baiting and stay away from medicine and gun control.

I would not even eat any pork or beef products from Europe, especially with how irresponsibly the containment of "Mad Cow" disease was handled in Europe.

[Consort]

Bleeding hearts need constant replenishing.

[areafiftyone]

As you can see UpChuck has nothing better to do. When Sept 11th happened NYC gave so much blood they had to destroy it because it wasn't needed. Blood rallys and drives would help the shortage. We don't need blood from Europe that could be tainted.

[Procyon]

Time to check who's trying to import this stuff and how much they are contributing to his campaign/slush funds.

Schumer would never promote anything that didn't aid his cash flow.

[hgro]

Lets remove a couple of pints of Chuckles blood and pump in two pints from Europe. That would prove he is right. There won't be any apparent symptoms because he is already brain dead.

[areafiftyone]

HMMMM Lets see if he starts foaming at the mouth and stuttering - uh oops sorry- thats not mad cow thats Jesse Jackson!

[Procyon]

Now I've gotten to thinking: what are the dynamics of blood supply/distribution?

1. You have the American Red Cross maybe trying to pump up the price of their domestic donor blood by restricting imports, declaring European blood to be unsafe.

2. Why is it there's a shortage of blood in the US but a surplus of blood in Europe? Could it be this is not donor-blood but blood from junkies and winos and students? Or is it simply a case of US hospitals finding it cheaper to import (and paying a better price than European consumers for it) and avoiding the Red Cross monopoly pricing?

Anyone?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I donate to Red Cross but I don't think they have a monopoly. There are community blood banks and more than a few hospitals have their own blood drives.

[virgil]

I would think imported blood from Europe would be more expensive with shipping costs, getting it through customs, the cost of labor in europe. Donations during the summer are typically scarce. There's lots of phsycology involoved with donating blood. There could be many reasons why people are not donating. 9/11, perceptions about the economy, weather, bad Press that the ARC has been getting, fear of needles. It goes on and on.

[BLOODHOUND (askel5)]

Did you guys see this?

[BLOODHOUND (askel5)]

See also: Blood Trail CJD/BSE (UK): Test Reveal CJD Blood Risk

[backhoe]

Thanks... so we shipped them infected blood, and now they can ship it back? Am I being too irreverant? That's just how it seems at first blush... and like a dam-fool idea to boot.

[lavaroise]

Always a Democrat f@g to support trade that would confine or harm us.

[Askel5]

Extending his own forearm today to help replenish local blood supplies, the democrat said that lagging donations have created a severe decline in blood supplies on hand for emergencies.

Reads like a scene out of "Primary Colors" ... the book suffused in dripping blood and photo-op donations by the end.

[RIGHT IN SEATTLE]

Too bad he wasn't strapped down,

he could be accidentally bled dry!

[Budge]

Have not seen this.

How low can these socialists sink?

[BigM]

Bump and a drip!