i'm donating blood on monday

[Dignified Pauper]

Because the Government says gays can't give blood, and the Red Cross upholds those laws since they were never changed, I stopped giving blood on the principle that I shouldn't have to break a law to help my fellow man.

What's that? My blood goes to help dying babies? Shucks. Blame Uncle Sam.

[Jiro]

I have O+ blood. Which apparently makes me valuable. I'll donate blood eventually, and maybe if I donate enough over my life-time I can justify not wanting my organs nicked.

"Eww, I don't want my organs touching a sick guy." ~Bart Simpson

I don't care if this guy are sick or not, my corpse shouldn't be defiled

[rubah]

AK, it's not even that they're testing for HIV, it's just a blanket ban, regardless of if they're clean or not.

[Ouch!]

I can see their concern about contaminated blood, but they really need to revisit such prohibitions. Seriously, we're the 21st century.

That's similar to the reason (I say similar, because one my situation propagated by any form of particular bigotry) I'm not allowed to donate for having lived in Norway. They freak right the hell out about me having mad cow disease dormant somewhere in my body.

[ReloadPsi]

Every time I go they're too busy and basically politely turn me away at the door because all the reserved places are taken or something. I keep trying to sign up but for some reason they won't let me just fill in the forms and come back some other time. It's kinda demoralising actually :/

So no, I've never given blood, despite numerous attempts to do so.

Well, seeing as AIDS is basically a death scentence, I really agree with testing for it. My god, would you think how smurfed up it would be to get HIV/AIDS from a transfusion?

And it does actually happen. After all, has the link between HIV/AIDS and anal penetration been disproven? Hell, the 1/almostinifinity chance of getting that is what puts me off getting a tattoo.

[Unbreakable Will]

I have given blood on several occasions. the most i ever gave was 2 pints and i felt kinda funny afterwards...o.0

[rubah]

ReloadPsi, you could go to a tattoo parlor that only uses fresh needles

[ReloadPsi]

ReloadPsi, you could go to a tattoo parlor that only uses fresh needles

Good advice, but just about any place where you ask "Are all your needles fresh?" the good ones are gonna say "Yes" and bad ones are also gonna say "Yes" because they want the business :/

And there's no point asking other people because everyone will give you exact opposite testimonies of every place available. I'll probably find a place I actually trust eventually though :P

Also still on the "stuff that might be in your blood but we can't be sure it's not so we'll deny you", wouldn't it be incredibly costly and wasteful to test absolutely every single sample?

[LunarWeaver]

Can't! But I wouldn't anyway since I dun weigh that much. In fact, I might not be able to because of that either. I don't have a problem with needles or anything, though. I never did, even as a kid. They'd always be like, "Look away, kiddo!" and I'd just stare at it instead. I'm a wuss most of the time, so I don't know what's going on with that.

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

AK, it's not even that they're testing for HIV, it's just a blanket ban, regardless of if they're clean or not.

They do screen for it, just not as thorough as they do for an actual HIV/AIDS testing. From what I recall, a very thorough testing for HIV/AIDS is a process over months to happen.

Well, seeing as AIDS is basically a death scentence, I really agree with testing for it. My god, would you think how smurfed up it would be to get HIV/AIDS from a transfusion?

And it does actually happen. After all, has the link between HIV/AIDS and anal penetration been disproven? Hell, the 1/almostinifinity chance of getting that is what puts me off getting a tattoo.

Wait, what? Doesn't matter how you do it, whether it is anal, vaginal or oral, there is always a chance of transference. HIV/AIDS can only be transferred if the other person has it. It does not spontaneously come into existence at the point of anal intercourse. The chance of transference is varies from the role in the form of intercourse as well as from the various forms of intercourse. Without a condom the chances of transference to the anally-passive member is about 50/10000 (here. Still, I wouldn't bareback (condomless sex).

So the only "link" there is is if your partner has HIV and you are not having safe sex. I mean condoms break, but a responsible sexually active adult would also routinely get tested for STIs (STDs). So yeah. Also, if you have sex with someone and they are aware of being HIV/AIDS positive and they don't inform you, you can actually get them charged for it and put in jail. Something like negligence or attempted manslaughter, I forget what exactly it is called.

I am not saying that donating blood is a right. I am saying that the prohibition on it is based on ill-conceived notions of homosexuals (HIV/AIDS is a "gay disease", gays being promiscuous and apparently unsafe to name a few) that still exist today despite medicine and science knowing better.

Interesting fact, heterosexual females have the fastest growing rate of HIV positive cases.

Again, sorry if I seem a bit aggravated. Just...

[/vent]

[Darkswordofchaos]

Because the Government says gays can't give blood, and the Red Cross upholds those laws since they were never changed, I stopped giving blood on the principle that I shouldn't have to break a law to help my fellow man.

What's that? My blood goes to help dying babies? Shucks. Blame Uncle Sam.

I hope you have o blood type or whatever it is thats so rare and can go in anyone just so you get to say oops cant give my invaluable blood laterz bitches

thats what they should get for being douches

[oddler]

I did back in high school. I was fine up until the end, where I blacked out for a few moments and felt incredibly sick for a few hours, and I was still pretty weak for the next two days after. I'm seriously amazed I made it home that day; I should not have been driving.

I've done it once, and I doubt I'll do it again, unless money is involved. It's selfish, I know, but honestly, there's no way I'd put myself through that again otherwise.

Come to think of it, I made a thread on this back then.

EDIT: Yep, here it is.

Same crap happened to me and they didn't accept my donation because of it. I pretty much just skipped class to pass out, that's all.

[Aerith's Knight]

Wait, what? Doesn't matter how you do it, whether it is anal, vaginal or oral, there is always a chance of transference. HIV/AIDS can only be transferred if the other person has it. It does not spontaneously come into existence at the point of anal intercourse. The chance of transference is varies from the role in the form of intercourse as well as from the various forms of intercourse. Without a condom the chances of transference to the anally-passive member is about 50/10000 (here. Still, I wouldn't bareback (condomless sex).

So the only "link" there is is if your partner has HIV and you are not having safe sex. I mean condoms break, but a responsible sexually active adult would also routinely get tested for STIs (STDs). So yeah. Also, if you have sex with someone and they are aware of being HIV/AIDS positive and they don't inform you, you can actually get them charged for it and put in jail. Something like negligence or attempted manslaughter, I forget what exactly it is called.

I am not saying that donating blood is a right. I am saying that the prohibition on it is based on ill-conceived notions of homosexuals (HIV/AIDS is a "gay disease", gays being promiscuous and apparently unsafe to name a few) that still exist today despite medicine and science knowing better.

Interesting fact, heterosexual females have the fastest growing rate of HIV positive cases.

Again, sorry if I seem a bit aggravated. Just...

[/vent]

Wow, calm down. I had no idea there was a ban, I don't want to get mixed up in some sort of politicial thing here. I merely said that testing blood for diseases should be a must, no matter who it is. >_>

[Breine]

Nope, never donated any blood before, but I'd like to become a blood donor one day. I mean, why not? It'd be kinda silly not to, really.

[The Summoner of Leviathan]

Wait, what? Doesn't matter how you do it, whether it is anal, vaginal or oral, there is always a chance of transference. HIV/AIDS can only be transferred if the other person has it. It does not spontaneously come into existence at the point of anal intercourse. The chance of transference is varies from the role in the form of intercourse as well as from the various forms of intercourse. Without a condom the chances of transference to the anally-passive member is about 50/10000 (here. Still, I wouldn't bareback (condomless sex).

So the only "link" there is is if your partner has HIV and you are not having safe sex. I mean condoms break, but a responsible sexually active adult would also routinely get tested for STIs (STDs). So yeah. Also, if you have sex with someone and they are aware of being HIV/AIDS positive and they don't inform you, you can actually get them charged for it and put in jail. Something like negligence or attempted manslaughter, I forget what exactly it is called.

I am not saying that donating blood is a right. I am saying that the prohibition on it is based on ill-conceived notions of homosexuals (HIV/AIDS is a "gay disease", gays being promiscuous and apparently unsafe to name a few) that still exist today despite medicine and science knowing better.

Interesting fact, heterosexual females have the fastest growing rate of HIV positive cases.

Again, sorry if I seem a bit aggravated. Just...

[/vent]

Wow, calm down. I had no idea there was a ban, I don't want to get mixed up in some sort of politicial thing here. I merely said that testing blood for diseases should be a must, no matter who it is. >_>

Actually, it was not a reaction to what you said but something else.

I agree they should test for blood diseases, I understand the concern, just I think if someone can prove that they are clean, why shouldn't they donate?