Should gay men still be banned from giving blood?
443421
NO, they should not be banned. \n\nThat is just plain absurd.
815684
RELAX!!...LOL..u will get used to it. I have been donating blood for over 12 yrs now and i dont even notice it anymore. If it effects u this much...Dont watch...just try to think that in a few months u will be acne free for a few yrs. Thats the best reason to do it.  try and b brave...it'll be worth it. Good Luck  :)
804305
It is not possible to pass on a food or preservative allergy to someone else by donating blood.  Such reactions are caused by immuno globulins which are removed from the blood before it is stored by the blood bank.  It is very noble to give blood - it is certainly needed - and I hope that you will continue the practice.
523778
In the UK if your taking insulin, then you will not be able to give blood. This restriction is because concern about the health of the blood donors, \n\nIn the US To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17 years old or 16 years old if allowed by state law, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days). "Healthy" means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, "healthy" also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control. \n\nInsulin\nThose who since 1980, received an injection of bovine (beef) insulin made from cattle from the United Kingdom are not eligible to donate. This requirement is related to concerns about variant CJD, or 'mad cow' disease. Learn more about variant CJD and blood donation.
775788
You must be a man.  No, because it is not all blood.  It is the lining of the uterus and it comes out in clotts.  That can not be transfused to anyone.
875669
Actually the money goes into funding to generate awareness and acceptance(ie commercials and public speakers)I feel that if a buisness wants to set up a booth or donation box for any reason that is their porogative they dont tell you that you have to put money in its your choice.  I do believe tolorence in any form wether it be for gay, violence, or even religious tolerence is and should still be supported and every religion has some sort of donation system and some of that comes from other odinary people that are not apart of your congregation ie garage sales with donation boxes. so get off your high horse and just because you dont like gays does not mean you should condemn the world to your beliefs.
569822
In the 50's syphilis testing was mandatory as a blood test demanded before a wedding.  You could not get a civil marriage license for your wedding to be conducted in a church or by a judge or JP without having to had the paper with the results of this test.  You had to have the test 5 days before your wedding day... The results of an old test was not acceptable... it had to be current to the wedding... so if you had to have this test in the 1950's I don't see why the AIDS test could not be made mandatory too... If it means maintaining our national health... AIDS testing should be mandatory of all 18 year olds as a requirement for entrance from high school into college... I would not mind taking the test...
693592
You can donate hole blood 4 times a year more if it is a must because of time and place you can give more often But it is not recommended or done except under dire circumstances. If you are giving plasma often you are receiving replacement blood products. It is a give and take. There is a reason you are asking and you probably all ready know the answer good luck.
571890
Specific screening procedures vary by country, but the following is typical of most Western nations.\n\nThe first step in screening donated blood occurs before blood is even drawn from the donor.  The potential donor is asked various questions regarding their medical history to rule out exposure to blood-borne diseases that would disqualify them as donors.  \n\nOne thing that most developed nations take into account is likelyhood of exposure to HIV.  In the US and many other countries, IV drug users are excluded because they are at high risk for HIV exposure.  Since 1985, the US has also excluded male donors who have had sexual contact with another male after 1977 as the male homosexual community was particularly hard-hit by HIV when it first appeared in the US in the late '70s (personally, I think that as HIV is no longer more prevelent among homosexual individuals it is time for this policy to change, but apparently the Red Cross does not agree).\n\nIn the US, the Red Cross also excludes donors who have spent a significant amount of time in countries where mad cow disease is found because of worries that variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (commonly and incorrectly known as mad cow disease) is transmitted is not understood.\n\nThey will also exclude people who have recently visited areas where malaria, hepatitis C, and certain other blood-borne diseases are endemic.  Basically, they exclude anyone whose medical and travel histories indicate they are at particularly high risk for any disease that is could be transmitted via a blood transfussion.\n\nWhen a potential donor's history reveals no reason he should be excluded from donating, a small sample of blood is taken to determine the concentration of hemoglobin in his blood.  If this measurement is too low they will not be allowed to donate blood.  The most common tests for hemoglobin concentration are hematocrit, in which the blood is placed in a centrifuge to separate the various components, colorimetric hemoglobin test, in which a machine reads the result of a chemical reaction that results in a different color depending on the extent to which the reaction occurs, and copper sulfate screening, in which the donors blood is placed in a copper sulfate solution that is calibrated so that only blood with a hemoglobin concentration above the cut-off will sink.\n\nIf the donor's hemoglobin concentration is high enough, the donated blood will be drawn.  This blood will be typed (ABO group and Rh) tested for various diseases, including STDs and other blood-borne infections.  In the US, infections for which the blood is tested include:\n-HIV\n-West Nile Virus\n-hepatitis viruses B and C\n-human T-lympotophic viruses (HTLV) I and II\n-syphilis\n\nThe most common way to test for viruses in a blood test is to look for the presence of antibiodies to that virus in the blood.  The easiest way to check for bacterial infection is basically just to place a sample of the blood on a petri dish and see what grows.  There are also various other methods of screening for diseases.  Exactly which tests are used varies by country and organization.\n\nIf any of the screening tests produces a postive result, one or more confirmatory test will be preformed to determine if the donor is truely infected.  If the results of these tests indicate that the donor is infected with something, the blood will be discareded and the donor will be notified.
616760
well,circumcision is the right thing for males\nits also good for sexual health.
734789
Nope.\n\nThey would have to have not feed for 12 months (Red Cross requires doners to wait that long after a blood transfusion) and not have low blood pressure (which is doubtful if they've been starving themselves for 12 months). \n\nThat's your straight-up traditional vampire, though. If you're talking about homo sapians that engage in the practice of blood sharing, than I would look at the high risk practice rules the Red Cross has. I know you have to wait 12 months after you get a tattoo or if you've been exposed to HIV, Hepatitis, or any other STD.
770386
What a nice thing to do-I'd do it myself too if I could but I had a transfusion once so now they don't allow it-\nIf it wasn't for people like you I wouldn't be here.\n\nThank you.
959257
A law? No way. You can't compel someone to give up the body parts of their dead loved ones. That's just wrong, and I think against some religions.\n\nShould you be able to compel blood donations, too? Granted, the person isn't dead but they don't really NEED all that blood, do they? They can make more.\n\nI really don't NEED all my bone marrow or one of my kidneys---okay I'm actually saving the spare kidney for a friend who may need it---but you get the point.\n\nOrgan donation is a great thing. I am down as an organ donor and I support it. Forcing it is another thing entirely.
964126
Not surprising that the "gay problem" is almost negligible in asian countries, since homosexuality is punishable by death in most of these.  You rarely get true statistics from the closet. As for the African community, you need to go back to anthropology class.  There are a lot of African tribes where homosexuality is acutally encouraged, or openly accepted as part of the social climate.  In college we studied several of these communities - in one in particular, the right of passage for a boy to become a hunter or warrior is for him to drink the semen of the strongest male member of the tribe.  You think he drinks it from a champagne glass?   It is obviously a little bit of both - genetics and circumstance. Sexuality is as individual as fingerprints - no two people are truly identical in their proclivities.  Whose to say one is right and one is wrong? We're just different, as nature intends us to be.
146087
If someone is anemic or has sickle cell anemia they shouldn't be able to give blood.
818332
I believe it is a personal choice, I give blood as i am B positive, I am also on the bone marrow transplant reg, i have left my innards to ever who wants them,  Over the years I have donated over 50 pints of blood.\nYour question is very deep, peoples beliefs are precious to them, think of all the people that want to donate, blood and organs can not because of health issues and religion.\n Two questions for you do you give Blood/plasma are you on the donor register,\nAs my friend can not give blood anymore every other pint i donate i do it for her.
475722
I give blood all the time but I never have gotten paid for it. It isn't unheard of thugh. Otherwise, I've always had a good experience with it. You could pass out and depending on the person doing it you could get bruising around the area and there are always very small risks of infections. It's bad if you're anemic but they test for that before hand. If you d, be sure to eat first fruits/grains and sweets are good and they usually provide cookies. Also drink a lot of water or juice. The only things that have ever happened to me was being really tired for like an hour afterwards.