Sexually active gay men no longer allowed to donate organs

[sourdick]

The CBC reported yesterday on new regulartions from Health Canada about high risk organ donors.
A number of organ donation groups said Monday that they are unaware of new Health Canada regulations that mean sexually active gay men, injection drug users and other groups considered high risk will no longer be accepted as organ donors

Comments

[ghostwes]

So, do straight couples always use condoms when knocking on the back door?

[mijopo]

Its simply about statistics as to why this was put into place.

Which statistics?

[parsimonia]

Why don't they just ask about unprotected anal sex/sex of any kind? I mean, it could just as easily be a man and woman having unprotected sex and be just as likely to contract an STD.

This is the part that really doesn't make any sense:
"Transplant programs have been screening potential donors, but in some cases use organs from people in high-risk groups if they've tested negative for diseases. The new legislation means that practice must stop."

So, even if they're disease-free, their organs/blood still aren't wanted because they're gay? That is messed up.

[sourdick]

Again, it has less to do with sexuality and more to do with probability. The likelyhood of a homosexual having practiced dangerous activities is far more likely than a normal boring old straight person.

[parsimonia]

But even if the person has been tested and disease-free, this legislation prevents them from being used. That has nothing to do with probability.

[sourdick]

That's not as LIKELY however for a straight person. Its just math.

[profoundtruths]

#1: Personally, if I'm going to die and need an organ to keep living and they test one from a high risk individual and it's clean... I think I'd rather take my chances than die because no other organ is available.

"We'll be asking about things like travel, history of infectious disease, whether they've [donors] been in jail - that puts you at increased risk," Nickerson said. "Have they been an IV drug abuser in the past? Have they had tattoos? There's a whole list of questions we go through."

This bugs me because I know that these systems are imperfect - I have a good 18" squared of tatoos, but I'm a married mom with a degree that works as a professional. And there will be someone who will be checking off the list that will say, "oh, tattoos - thatza fail - next!" Which means that will be denying people over ridiculous things. I'm of the mindset of how can we have MORE donors, not less.

[dannnielle]

Don't use bitchy to describe the homosexual community. It's connotations go light years beyond anything I want to get into and whether or not your intentions were pointed at any of them is irrelevant. Please be more mindful in the future as I am a mod with sensitivities to derogatory terminology.

With that said, I'm not sure where I stand on this decision although I find it interesting that it was made in December and is only now coming to light. They clearly knew they'd have an uproar on their hands.

[sourdick]

Don't use bitchy to describe the homosexual community

I've been with my male-partner for almost six years. I am pretty bitchy usually.

[dannnielle]

Touche.

[sourdick]

I'll change it if you like to something less derogatory.

Clearly this isnt the thread to discuss our feelings on The Community, but I have a lot of negative feeling towards it, and how it actually generally impedes our progress towards equality, rather than accelerating it.

[penlessej]

Great let's make organ donation even harder for people so we can get less and less.

[sourdick]

Can't we just let the free-market govern organ donation??????????!!!