Blood Transfussion and Homosexuality

In conclusion, there are many reason why donating blood is something everyone. In the United States an average of 40,000 units of blood are needed every day. Around 60% of population will need blood at some time in their lives, yet only around 5% of the population will actually donate blood. If all eligible donors will donate on a regular basis, which I six to four times a year, all blood needs would be meet and blood shortages would be a thing of the

Our nation has a major blood shortage which results in a national health crisis. States all over the nation are reporting the need for blood donors and the importance of having donors to help those who are directly affected. There has been a recent rise in shortage due to the increased demand of high complex surgeries which require a large supply of blood. McMillan reports, “just one liver transplant can take 120 units of donated blood” (Zabarenko, 2016). It is imperative to bring attention to this social problem, and begin to search for possible solutions, as well as identifying gaps in the policy before seeking policy revision. Experts indicate that “the only solution is for this problem is to persuade people to become donors” (Nagourney, 2009).

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has a pattern blood donation policies that is important to consider when evaluating their current policies. In the 1980s there was a lifetime ban on Haitians donating blood. There are notable parallels between the current MSM policy and the Haitian policy of the 80s. First, the high risk grouping was based on identity rather than behaviors. The policies were both based on assumption of high risk and stereotyping based on sexuality or race. Another shortcoming of the CDC has been the lack of representation of individuals who will be impacted by the policies. In both cases, Haitians and MSM have not been included in governing bodies that make these decisions. Finally, both policies

“I feel that the recent ruling of the United States Army and Navy regarding the refusal of colored blood donors is an indefensible one from any point of view. As you know, there is no scientific basis for the separation of the bloods of different races except on the basis of the individual blood types or groups.” This famous quote is from Charles Drew, an African American surgeon, teacher, and doctor. Charles was a surgeon and was a big part of transfusion in WW1.

Do people have control over their sexual orientation? Many people believe they were born without a choice. In other words, some people believe they were predestined to be homosexual. Homosexuality is defined as the romantic/sexual attraction between members of the same sex. Currently, the cause of homosexuality has not been determined although many speculations have been made. The cause of homosexuality has been disputed for many years. One could argue homosexuality is caused by hormones, genes and/or a type of social deviance. This research paper will offer another alternative. Specifically, it will argue that homosexuality is caused by epigenetics.

This topic is very controversial because anytime homosexuals and their unequal rights are mentioned people go crazy. Everyone should have equal rights, but there is a very good reason men who have had sex with other men are not able to give blood. Many statistics show that HIV and many other infectious diseases are more common among the gay men population so I don’t think they should be able to give blood. I would be very angry if I received a blood transfusion and it resulted in me acquiring a serious

Grey’s Anatomy has been one of the most popular shows on network television since 2005. While most critics and fans agree that the first three seasons were the shows best, the storylines in the later seasons have still been able to add new and progressive ideas into the forefront of the show. The biggest change in storyline is when they introduced their first LGBTQ-identifying main character, Callie Torres. For many queer fans of the show, the addition of Callie’s character was extremely monumental. As highly regarded lesbian and bisexual blog AfterEllen noted, it was quite unprecedented to have an LGBTQ-identifying character on such a popular network television show (Warn, A Lesbian Relationship on “Grey’s Anatomy”?).

In a publication of the Stanford University School of Medicine, held an article entitled “Against the Flow—What’s Behind the Decline in Blood Transfusions?” The author of that article, Sarah C. P. Williams, stated: “Over the past decade, a growing body of research has revealed that in hospitals around the world, donated blood is used more often, and in larger quantities, than is needed to help patients—both in operating rooms and hospital

Over time the rules have changed regarding the components of blood, so that techniques such as cell salvage, hemodilution, and hemodialysis, are personal decisions

Have you ever thought about whether homosexuality is a choice or if it is biologically based? To most people, homosexuality is a choice that the person themselves chooses to like the same sex instead of being born that way. However, some people also like to bring religion into the topic saying it is wrong and what not, but I believe it should be the person’s choice to like and date whichever sex they want to. I mean as long as it is not being forced on them they should not really care what that person does with their life. Also, another question to think about as you read this paper is, do you think people are born this way or they choose to like the same sex? I mean look at it this way, do you think someone would choose to like the same sex

In the mid twentieth century, the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic broke out. This epidemic spread through body fluids including blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk. Fear and panic broke out throughout the world and prevention of the disease became of great priority. Then, in 1977, a policy was created in the United States that helped to prevent the spread of transmission through blood products (Smith, Smith, 2014). Due to the fact that there were a disproportionate number of gay men who had acquired the AIDS virus, a governmental blood policy was enacted. This policy put a lifetime ban from accepting blood donations from men who have had sexual contact with another man. Thirty years later, debate has developed over whether or not gay men should be still be banned from donating blood.. The developments of technologies have helped to screen blood donations for HIV/AIDS, so the relevance of the ban has been questioned.

First, I want to applaud you on the fact that you came to your senses and changed a lifetime deferral to a mere 12 months of celibacy. See before, if one was a male who has sex with men you would not be able to donate blood at any point in your life (LGBTQ Donors). Now after several years of research and data on HIV obtained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the FDA has decided to change the donation policy for men who have sex with men from, “a lifetime deferral to 12-month deferral is consistent with other selection criteria that are used to safeguard the blood supply from equivalent risks,” (LGBTQ Donors). For those who don’t understand what this deferral means, basically it says that as a man who has sex with men (MSM) you cannot donate blood until 12 months after your most recent sexual contact. Celibacy for an entire year, just to be able to donate blood. Some people may ask, “But wait, what if I’m in a MSM monogamous relationship, and we both know that we’re negative for HIV?” If you thought the answer was different, you thought wrong. Even in a monogamous relationship you’d still be deferred for 12 months (LGBTQ Donors). For any situation, one might think of dealing with MSM and blood donation, the Red Cross’ answer is usually no. Actually, the Red Cross provides a pretty clear and concise questions and answers page that has every imaginable

Anyone who wants to donate, is allowed (“Frequently Asked Question’s”). However, “Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissues can be donated for the transplant or scientific research” (“Frequently Asked Questions”). That also means that someone can not be too young, or too old to be a deceased organ donor, or a living donor (“Who Can Donate”). A deceased donor is when someone passes away and then they donate their organs. A living donor is when someone donates their organs while they are still alive, and they only date one of their organs if they have a pair and still live with one, like one liver. Another reason is that most, if not all religions support organ donation so it does not matter what religion they are (“Who Can Donate”).

The topic of blood donation well-researched, with strategies having been devised to try and increase donation rates all over the world. Australia faces a challenging set of circumstances, in which remuneration for donation is illegal (ARCBS, 2013). It is thought this may be a contributing factor to the poor repeat donation rates in youth demographics, for whom altruism is no longer a primary driving factor when considering donation (Russell-Bennett, Hartel, Previte & Russel, 2012).

62 Griffith University students, 35 female and 27 male age 18 – 30 were asked to participate in our survey. Respondents had to fill out 20 questions which included demographic questions on age, gender and nationality as well as questions regarding awareness, attitude and actual behaviour towards blood donation. The quantitative data from our survey was entered into