Blood Donation & Remuneration

[TorontoTrekker]

My late brother-in-law had hemachromatosis. Unfortunately it wasn't discovered that he was suffering from it until there was serious damage to his liver i.e liver cancer which ended up spreading to his bones and brain.

I gather your hemachromatosis has been discovered before any serious damage has been done?

Yes, there's been no damage - they did a biopsy. Though as I said above, it turned out that wasn't what I had (though they still don't know what I do have, if anything). But the fainting spells stopped. Personally, I think it was just due to lack of proper sleep, and it's just fortunate happenstance that they decided to run blood tests and found the problem with my ferritin levels. (I don't know if that was actually what they were looking for, or if they were just looking for anything that might have been off.)

 

[Miss Chicken]

Oops. I obviously didn't read your entire post (or else just didn't take it all in).

 

[Switch]

Donating plasma is not the same as donating blood. When one donates plasma, it takes 2-3 hours

55 minutes for me, plus 15 minutes each way for prep/recovery. In and out in 1.5hrs.

Plasma is used to make drugs and other treatments; it is not given to patients directly.

Some plasma is indeed used to treat patients directly. And the distinction is irrelevant in any case.

Donating plasma is a commercial activity. Donating blood, however, is generally a volunteer thing and that blood is used directly to treat patients. I've never heard of anyone being paid to donate blood. Likewise, I've never heard of anyone not being paid to donate plasma.

I don't get paid to donate plasma and nor does anyone else in Australia.

 

[bigdaddy]

Whores can give blood, they are WHORES! No issues.

The blood should be screened no matter what!

Yes, bigdaddy, it's a big issue. The American Red Cross blood donor criteria exclude anyone who has ever exchanged sex for money, drugs, etc., and anyone who has had sex w/ such a person in the last 12 months.

And the blood is screened no matter what.

Wow! 12 months! I can't give blood for 27 years!

Fucking country needs a revolt like that in Egypt, fucking cunts are clueless in this country.

What if I get stoned and have straight sex with the woman that gave me the drugs? Does that count?

What if a straight guy fucks his wife up the ass?

 

[Switch]

Here's a pretty good FAQ on the issue of MSM and blood donation policy.

Fucking country needs a revolt like that in Egypt, fucking cunts are clueless in this country.

... well, probably not that good.

 

[scotpens]

I donate for free (well, sort of. Do free movie tickets and restaurant gift-cards count as "remuneration?" I never take the t-shirt, though), though not as often as I'd like.

They give you a T-shirt? Cool!

 

[trampledamage]

Whores can give blood, they are WHORES! No issues.

The blood should be screened no matter what!

Yes, bigdaddy, it's a big issue. The American Red Cross blood donor criteria exclude anyone who has ever exchanged sex for money, drugs, etc., and anyone who has had sex w/ such a person in the last 12 months.

And the blood is screened no matter what.

I know I'm just going blind or being a bit slow, but I can't find the section on that link about not being able to donate because you're a man who's had sex with other men, where is that part?

 

[Switch]

^ It doesn't seem to be mentioned on the website, which is a little odd. It's certainly the case that MSM are indefinitely deferred from donating blood in the United States, though. The American Red Cross follows FDA regulations in such matters and the DHHS recently recommended that the current indefinite deferral policy be maintained even though the various blood banks (incl. the Red Cross) were campaigning to have the deferral period to changed to 12 months since the last incidence.

 

[trampledamage]

Thanks Switch - odd they don't mention it.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

Whores can give blood, they are WHORES! No issues.

The blood should be screened no matter what!

Yes, bigdaddy, it's a big issue. The American Red Cross blood donor criteria exclude anyone who has ever exchanged sex for money, drugs, etc., and anyone who has had sex w/ such a person in the last 12 months.

And the blood is screened no matter what.

I know I'm just going blind or being a bit slow, but I can't find the section on that link about not being able to donate because you're a man who's had sex with other men, where is that part?

Look under HIV/AIDS.

ETA Here you go, Trample, I've copied and pasted for you:

You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV.

You are at risk for getting infected if you:
have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor
are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
have ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977
have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above
received clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea,Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977
since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or
had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, while the policy sucks for many people, it doesn't single out gay people alone. The intent is clearly designed to protect against HIV.

 

[trampledamage]

Yes, bigdaddy, it's a big issue. The American Red Cross blood donor criteria exclude anyone who has ever exchanged sex for money, drugs, etc., and anyone who has had sex w/ such a person in the last 12 months.

And the blood is screened no matter what.

I know I'm just going blind or being a bit slow, but I can't find the section on that link about not being able to donate because you're a man who's had sex with other men, where is that part?

Look under HIV/AIDS.

ETA Here you go, Trample, I've copied and pasted for you:

You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV.

You are at risk for getting infected if you:
have ever used needles to take drugs, steroids, or anything not prescribed by your doctor
are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977
have ever taken money, drugs or other payment for sex since 1977
have had sexual contact in the past 12 months with anyone described above
received clotting factor concentrates for a bleeding disorder such as hemophilia
were born in, or lived in, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea,Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria, since 1977
since 1977, received a blood transfusion or medical treatment with a blood product in any of these countries, or
had sex with anyone who, since 1977, was born in or lived in any of these countries.

oh right - I read that but missed the bit that said you couldn't give blood if you'd done any of those things, I read it just as risks of HIV and that you couldn't give if you had HIV.

 

[MHT1138]

It is certainly not perfect, but the red cross and other blood donation services view it as question of public health. They exclude a lot of people, including women who have had sex with a male who have had sex with a male since 1977. I know a gay man who has been celibate for like 40 years. He won't be denied blood donation.

I guess I'd probably donate blood if I still got payed for it.

 

[bluedana]

I would give blood for free if allowed, but I can't because (1) I have iron-deficiency anemia, and (2) lived in the UK for a year in 1987-88 (mad cow).