Argentina Eliminates ‘Gay Blood Ban’ – Will US Be Next?

Argentina chooses to save lives by eliminating their discriminatory “gay blood ban.” They now assess donors based on individual risk factors rather than sexual orientation. When will America do the same?

While the United States still has restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood, other countries like Italy and Spain are starting to realize that removing these discriminatory bans could decrease stigma and save numerous lives. Argentina is the latest country to strike down the “gay blood bans” and instead assess donors based on individual risk factors.

According to Slate, Health Minister Daniel Gollán declared that the change in policy is “scientifically and technically accurate.” Gollán also explained that, the new policy allows Argentina to finally “move toward a national blood system that is safe, caring, and inclusive.”

Unfortunately, the United States had the opportunity to eliminate the “gay blood ban” last year, but instead choose to implement a one-year deferral method requiring all men who have sex with men to be celibate for an entire year before donating blood. This bizarre change goes against science, and lumps married, monogamous gay men into the same category as IV-drug users and straight people who have frequent unprotected anonymous sex. It’s also important to note that there is no waiting period for straight people who have high-risk, unprotected, sex with partners they meet online or in sex clubs.

Time noted that advocates felt the new U.S. policy was unnecessary and still discriminatory.

“They require men who have sex with men, including married monogamous gay couples, to be celibate for a year. They are not doing this to heterosexuals who could also come in contact with HIV,” Anthony Hayes, vice president of public affairs and policy for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) explained. “It’s not based on current science. That’s why you are seeing countries like Argentina make these changes. We have to stop responding to HIV and AIDS like it’s the 1980s. There’s a better way to protect the blood supply and be more inclusive about our policy.”

Members of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Red Cross also believe bans against gay and bisexual men donating blood are not effective. Dr. William Kobler, AMA board member gave a statement back in 2013 saying it was important to “ensure blood donation bans or deferrals are applied to donors according to their individual level of risk and are not based on sexual orientation alone.”

A 2014 report from The Williams Institute estimated that if the ban were lifted, the U.S. annual blood supply would increase by 2 to 4 percent, which could ultimately help save the lives of more than 1.8 million people. Because eliminating these discriminatory bans in the U.S. could decrease stigma and save over a million lives, the cause made it on our list of important issues the LGBT community should focus on now that marriage equality is legal in all fifty states.

So what do you think? How long will it take the U.S. to eliminate the one-year gay celibacy period and begin screening people by overall risk factors as opposed to sexual orientation? Let us know in the comments section below.

 

RELATED:

Tammy Baldwin, Elizabeth Warren Send Bipartisan Letter Asking To End Gay Blood Ban

FDA Again Pushes Discriminatory Policy Allowing Only Celibate Gay Men To Donate Blood

FDA Panel To Gay Men: We Don’t Want Your Blood

 

Image by lori_greig via Flickr and a CC license