July 19, 2010: Gay blood donor ban

>> Rooney: IF YOU'RE A MAN WHO

HAS HAD SEX WITH ANOTHER MAN

AT ANY POINT OVER THE LAST 33

YEARS, THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG

ADMINISTRATION SAYS YOU MAY

NEVER DONATE BLOOD.

BUT THE RED CROSS AND OTHER

MAJOR ORGANIZATIONS WANT TO

CHANGE THE POLICY.

THIS MAN SAYS HE FELT

HUMILIATED THE FIRST TIME HE

RAN INTO THE FEDERAL BAN ON

GAY MEN DONATING BLOOD.

>> I'M HERE TRYING TO HELP

SOMEBODY'S LIFE.

I COULD BE A MATCH TO ANYBODY,

SOMEBODY WHO IS DYING BUT THEY

CANNOT USE ME BECAUSE I'M GAY.

>> Rooney: UNDER A POLICY

DATING BACK TO THE 1980s, MEN

WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH OTHER

MEN SINCE 1977, ARE BANNED

FROM EVER GIVING BLOOD.

YET A MAN WHO HAS HAD SEX WITH

A PROSTITUTE OR WITH A FEMALE

DRUG ADDICT CAN DONATE AFTER A

ONE-YEAR WAITING PERIOD.

GAY MEN LIKE THIS MAN SAY THE

POLICY IS OUTDATED AND

DISCRIMINATORY.

>> IT'S LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO

BURN THE HOUSE BECAUSE YOU SAW

SOME COCKROACH IN YOUR HOUSE.

WHAT DO YOU DO?

YOU GO AND KILL THE COCKROACH

AND YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP THE

HOUSE.

YOU DON'T BURN THE HOUSE.

>> Reporter: MORE AND MORE

GROUPS ARE URGING THE U.S.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

TO CHANGE THE RULES INCLUDING

THE THREE ORGANIZATIONS THAT

HANDLE MOST OF THE U.S. BLOOD

SUPPLY.

AMERICAN RED CROSS SPOKESWOMAN

DONNA MORE I SEE SAYS SCIENCE

NO LONGER SUPPORT A LIFE-TIME

BAN.

>> THE AMERICAN RED CROSS

BELIEVES THAT THE DEFERRAL IS

NOT WARRANTED.

WE JOIN WITH BLOOD BANKING

ORGANIZATIONS TO ASK THE FDA

TO MODIFY IT.

TO CHANGE IT.

BUT IN THE MEANTIME WE ARE

REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THAT

REGULATION.

>> Rooney: THAT MEANS THE

ESTIMATED 89,000 PINTS OF

BLOOD GAY MEN COULD BE SAFELY

DONATING EACH JEER.

>> BLOOD HAS A SHELF LIFE.

WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE

CONTINUOUSLY REPLENISH BLOOD

SUPPLY.

BUT WE ALSO HAVE AN OBLIGATION

TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S AS SAFE

AS POSSIBLE.

>> Reporter: IT ALSO PUTS THE

RED CROSS IN THE DIFFICULT

POSITION OF TELLING GAY MEN

THEIR BLOOD IS NOT WANTED.

>> WE ARE CERTAINLY

SYMPATHETIC FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE

DEFERRED FROM GIVING BLOOD BUT

THERE'S OTHER WAYS THEY CAN

CONTRIBUTE.

THEY CAN VOLUNTEER.

THEY CAN SPONSOR A BLOOD

DRIVE.

>> Reporter: BUT HE SAYS THOSE

CONSOLATIONS ARE INSULTING.

>> YOU'RE TELLING A HUMAN

BEING THAT YOU ARE NOT EQUAL

AND WE DON'T WANT YOU.

BUT YOU HANG AROUND BECAUSE WE

NEED YOUR HELP TO GET THIS

DONE.

>> Reporter: LAST MONTH AFTER

HEARING OBJECTIONS FROM

CONSERVATIVE GROUPS, A FEDERAL

PANEL UPHELD THE CURRENT FDA

POLICY.

>> OKAY.

WHY ISN'T THE FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT TRYING TO CHANGE

THIS LAW?

>> Rooney: IT'S A QUESTION

THAT'S GETTING INCREASINGLY

DIFFICULT TO ANSWER.

AND WITH ME NOW IS MICHAEL

SHANKI OF THE AIDS ACTION

COMMITTEE.

WELCOME, MICHAEL.

IS THIS A BIG ISSUE IN THE GAY

COMMUNITY?

>> I THINK THAT ULTIMATELY WE

ARE LOOKING TO INCREASE THE

SUPPLY OF BLOOD AVAILABLE TO

INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED IT.

IS IT A BIG DEAL?

THERE ARE LOTS OF INDIVIDUALS

THAT AREN'T ABLE TO DONATE

BLOOD BECAUSE OF THIS POLICY

THAT ARE ABSOLUTELY ABLE TO,

THAT PARTICIPATE IN BEHAVIORS

THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO GIVE

BLOOD.

>> Rooney: ARE YOU ALLOWED TO,

LET'S SAY, IF YOU WANTED TO

DONATE BLOOD TO A PARTNER OR A

BLOOD RELATIVE, COULD YOU DO

THAT?

OR YOU CAN'T DO IT AT ALL?

>> YOU CAN'T DO IT AT ALL.

ACCORDING TO THE CURRENT

POLICY, IF YOU WERE GOING TO

BE A SELF-DONOR WHERE YOU WERE

GOING TO BE COLLECTING BLOOD

FOR AN UPCOMING OPERATION OR

ELECTIVE SURGERY, YOU WOULD BE

ALLOWED TO DO THAT.

YOUR OWN BLOOD.

>> Rooney: YOUR OWN, YEAH.

>> BUT NOT FOR SOMEONE ELSE.

>> Rooney: THESE CONSERVATIVE

GROUPS THAT WERE PUSHING BACK

ON THIS, THEY SAID, LOOK, THIS

IS JUST POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

RUN AMOK THAT PEOPLE DON'T

WANT TO OFFEND THE GAY

COMMUNITY.

OH, WELL, WE SHOULD CONSIDER

MAKING THEIR BLOOD AVAILABLE.

THEY'RE SAYING, NO, THERE'S

THE CONCERN ABOUT H.I.V. AND

THERE WAS THAT HORRIBLE...

THOSE HORRIBLE EPISODES BACK

IN THE '80s WHERE A LOT OF

TAINTED BLOOD GOT INTO, YOU

KNOW, THE BLOOD SUPPLY.

I WAS THINKING YOU KNOW WHAT?

RATHER BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

ULTIMATELY AUR OVERALL

OBJECTIVE IS TO ENSURE THAT

THE BLOOD SUPPLY IN AMERICA IS

ABSOLUTELY THE SAFEST IT

POSSIBLY CAN BE.

THIS POLICY IS ACTUALLY NOT

SCIENTIFIC OR MEDICALLY

WARRANTED ANYMORE.

IN 1985 WHEN THAT POLICY WAS

PUT INTO PLACE, YOU KNOW, WE

DIDN'T HAVE THE SENSITIVITY TO

THE H.I.V. TESTING THAT WE DO

TODAY.

WE DIDN'T HAVE THE SCREENING

THAT IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE FOR

BLOOD SCREENING AND GAY MEN AT

THAT TIME WERE AT A HIGHER

PREVALENCE RATE OF H.I.V.

INFECTION THAN HETEROSEXUALS.

BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT,

YOU KNOW, RISK CATEGORIES

TODAY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE

THAT RISK ACROSS THE BOARD IS

ELIMINATED OR REDUCED BY

ASKING PEOPLE QUESTIONS BASED

ON THEIR BEHAVIOR.

SO IMPROVING THEIR QUESTIONS

THAT ARE ASKED PRIOR TO

DONATING BLOOD.

>> Rooney: THEN IT GETS REALLY

PERSONAL.

>> IT SHOULD GET PERSONAL.

THIS IS ABOUT... YOU ARE

DONATING BLOOD FOR ANOTHER

PERSON.

SOMETIMES MULTIPLE PEOPLE.

>> Rooney: LIKE WHAT WOULD YOU

ADD AS A QUESTION?

>> SOME OF THE COGNITIVE

QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD BE ASKED

WOULD BE BASED ON SEXUAL

HISTORY OF AN INDIVIDUAL.

SEXUAL HEALTH HISTORY.

REGARDLESS OF IT'S AN

INDIVIDUAL.

>> Rooney: HAVE YOU EVER

HAD....

>> WELL, SOME QUESTIONS WOULD

BE TALKING ABOUT IF YOU HAD A

RECENT HISTORY OF AN STD, IF

YOU ENGAGED IN UNPROTECTED

SEXUAL ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST

SEVERAL MONTHS.

>> Rooney: THEY DON'T ASK YOU

THAT NOW BECAUSE, AS YOU SAY,

I MEAN IF A MAN VISITED A

PROSTITUTE.

>> OR A HETEROSEXUAL COUPLE

THAT WOULD BE ENGAGED IN HIGH-

RISK BEHAVIOR THOSE QUESTIONS

ARE NOT ASKED.

THEY'RE NOT WEEDED OUT DURING

THIS PROCESS.

WITH GAY MEN INITIALLY

INDICATING THAT YOU'VE HAD SEX

WITH ANOTHER MAN AUTOMATICALLY

EXCLUDES YOU NOT FOR ANY

LENGTH OR PERIOD OF TIME BUT

FOR YOUR LIFETIME.

>> Rooney: THIS IS THE OTHER

THING.

WHEN THIS THING WENT INTO

EFFECT IN 1985, IF YOU HAD SEX

WITH A MAN SINCE 1977.

IF YOU HAD HAD SEX BEFORE

THAT.

SO NOW 33 YEARS LATER OR

WHATEVER IT IS, THE TIME SPAN

HAS... WHY ISN'T IT JUST AN

EIGHT-YEAR TIME SPAN?

BACK THEN IT WAS EIGHT YEARS.

'85 TO '77.

NOW IT'S JUST '77 HAS STAYED

HAS THE MARKER.

THAT'S THE PART... I MEAN,

COULDN'T THEY MOVE THAT SO

SEVEN YEARS PRIOR?

>> WELL, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE

OTHER RISK CATEGORIES LIKE

WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT A MAN

HAVING SEX WITH A SEX WORKER

OR PROSTITUTE OR A FEMALE

HAVING SEX WITH A POSITIVE

H.I.V. POSITIVE INDIVIDUAL,

THEY HAVE A ONE-YEAR EXCLUSION

WHERE THEY ARE DEFERRED FROM

DONATING.

H.I.V. CAN BE DETECTED WITHIN

A TWO-WEEK WINDOW PERIOD OF

TIME AFTER AN INFECTION

OCCURS.

THAT'S HOW WE HAVE NARROWED

THAT GAP DOWN.

IT USED TO BE SIX MONTHS.

>> Rooney: I KNOW BUT WE DON'T

WANT TO GET INTO THAT.

THE BLOOD COLLECTORS DON'T

WANT TO BE THE ONES MONITORING

BLOOD.

IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE.

THEY CAN'T TEST EVERY BLOOD

SAMPLE FOR H.I.V..

>> YES, EVERY BLOOD....

>> Rooney: IT IS NOW?

>> EVERY SAMPLE IS TESTED FOR

H.I.V., HEPATITIS AND OTHER

BLOOD-BORN INFECTIONS.

THAT COULD BE TRANSMITTED.

THIS ENSURES THE SAFETY OF OUR

BLOOD SUPPLY IN THE COUNTRY.

>> Rooney: THEN WHAT IS THE

ISSUE?

>> THE ISSUE BECOMES THAT THIS

BAN IS NOT SCIENTIFICALLY

BASED ANY LONGER.

THAT IT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED,

THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT THOSE

QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED

BECAUSE WE NEED TO SCREEN

EVERYONE FOR THEIR SEXUAL

HEALTH PRACTICES.

TO ENSURE THAT OUR BLOOD

SUPPLY IS SAFE.

ASKING HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES

THE QUESTIONS ABOUT

HETEROSEXUAL INDIVIDUALS

QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR SEXUAL

HEALTH HISTORY, TRANSMISSION

HISTORY, WHERE H.I.V. COULD BE

TRANSMITTED ARE ALL ESSENTIAL

IN KEEPING OUR BLOOD SUPPLY.

>> Rooney: NOW THERE ARE SOME

PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY SUPPORT

THIS BAN.

GROUPS OF HEMOPHILIACS SAYING

WE ARE OUT THERE EVERY DAY,

EVERY OTHER DAY GETTING THESE

BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS.

WE JUST DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO

THINK ABOUT IT FOR ONE SECOND.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

IT'S NOT LIKE, YOU KNOW,

YOU'RE BEING DENIED SOMETHING.

YOU CAN'T GIVE SOMETHING.

YOU'RE NOT BEING DENIED

ANYTHING.

>> THIS IS ABOUT ONE

INDIVIDUAL DONATING BLOOD.

AND THE IDEA IS IT DOESN'T

MATTER IF THAT PERSON IS GAY,

IF THEY'VE HAD SEX WITH

ANOTHER, A MAN HAVING SEX WITH

ANOTHER MAN.

THIS IS ABOUT A PERSON WHO IS

INFECTED WITH H.I.V.

WE WANT TO ELIMINATE THAT

POSSIBILITY FROM OUR BLOOD

SUPPLY.

AND THIS PRACTICE THAT IS

CURRENTLY IN PLACE, BANNING

MEN WHO HAVE HAD SEX WITH

OTHER MEN, REALLY DOESN'T DO

THAT.

IT DOESN'T GET AT THE HEART OF

THE ISSUE.

AND THE ARGUMENT IS REALLY NOT

FOUNDED.

WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO RULE OUT

ANYBODY....

>> Rooney: HOW COME THE A.M.A.

ONSOME OF THESE BIG GROUPS

HAVEN'T GOTTEN ON BOARD WITH

THIS AND SAY THIS IS

RIDICULOUS,.

>> THE AMERICAN RED CROSS, THE

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BLOOD

BANKS, BLOOD CENTERS OF

AMERICA ARE ALL BACKING THIS

CHANGE IN POLICY.

WE CAN HAVE HUNDREDS OF

THOUSANDS OF MORE PINTS OF

BLOOD THAT ARE AVAILABLE WITH

NO INCREASE RISK FOR AN

INDIVIDUAL THAT WOULD BE

RECEIVING THAT BLOOD.

>> Rooney: INTERESTING ISSUE.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> Rooney: THAT IS IT FOR

GREATER BOSTON.

A REMINDER TO TUNE IN AT NOON

FOR MY RADIO SHOW ON 89.7

WGBH.

WE'LL LOOK AT THE ELENA KAGAN

SUPREME COURT NOMINATION WITH

MARY ROSE, A FORMER STUDENT OF

KAGAN'S, FOLLOWED BY CALLIE

CROSSLEY AT 1:00.

TOMORROW NIGHT ON GREATER

BOSTON INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE

TIM CAHILL AND WHY HE THINKS

IT'S A BIG MISTAKE TO DROP THE

MCAS EXAMS.

THAT AND MORE TOMORROW AT

7:00.

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.