Lesbians able to give blood after 14-year ban ends
By Xu Chi and Cai Wenjun |
July 11, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LESBIANS are now allowed to donate blood in China under new Ministry of Health rules, ending a 14-year ban.
But sexually active gay men are still banned, sparking a debate over whether this is discrimination.
The new rules for blood donors, which took effect on July 1, continue to exclude drug addicts, men who are sexually active with other men and people who have sex with multiple partners.
But lesbians, including those who are sexually active, are being allowed to donate for the first time since 1998.
The amended rules immediately sparked heated online discussion with some people questioning whether this was discrimination against men.
"Why cannot gay men donate blood while lesbians in sexual relationships can?" was an often repeated question on Weibo.com.
In response, Lu Yi, an official with the Shanghai Blood Administration Office, said gay men were more likely than lesbians to contract and spread diseases, especially AIDS.
Lu said men having sex with other men could lead to skin damage, making it easier for viruses to enter the bloodstream, thus raising the risk of venereal diseases and AIDS.
Fu Qiang, an official with Nanjing City Red Cross Blood Center, told the Jinling Evening News that lesbians had a lower risk of spreading disease.
Fu said that the donation rules only banned men in sexual relationships with other men. Gay men who were not sexually active could still be donors.
The newspaper said data from Nanjing Diseases Control and Prevention Center showed that half of new HIV carriers diagnosed in Nanjing last year were infected via sex between men.
The new rules also extend the donor age limit by five years to 60 and confirm that it is a criminal offense for people to donate blood knowing they are banned or suffering from a disease.
Lu said that, so far, the local blood authority had found no cases where a banned or infected person had tried to donate.
Officials from the Shanghai Blood Administration Office said they were working on a new donor registration form to be filled in prior to health checks.
Previously, the form only asked if potential donors had engaged in recent risky sexual behavior.
The new one is expected to ask men if they are having sex with another man. Female donors will not be asked a similar question.
Donors who are found HIV positive in blood tests will be informed and their details passed to the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention for a final check.
"To ensure blood safety, we use very sensitive reagent, which can cause a false positive," said Meng Yan from the Shanghai Blood Center.
But sexually active gay men are still banned, sparking a debate over whether this is discrimination.
The new rules for blood donors, which took effect on July 1, continue to exclude drug addicts, men who are sexually active with other men and people who have sex with multiple partners.
But lesbians, including those who are sexually active, are being allowed to donate for the first time since 1998.
The amended rules immediately sparked heated online discussion with some people questioning whether this was discrimination against men.
"Why cannot gay men donate blood while lesbians in sexual relationships can?" was an often repeated question on Weibo.com.
In response, Lu Yi, an official with the Shanghai Blood Administration Office, said gay men were more likely than lesbians to contract and spread diseases, especially AIDS.
Lu said men having sex with other men could lead to skin damage, making it easier for viruses to enter the bloodstream, thus raising the risk of venereal diseases and AIDS.
Fu Qiang, an official with Nanjing City Red Cross Blood Center, told the Jinling Evening News that lesbians had a lower risk of spreading disease.
Fu said that the donation rules only banned men in sexual relationships with other men. Gay men who were not sexually active could still be donors.
The newspaper said data from Nanjing Diseases Control and Prevention Center showed that half of new HIV carriers diagnosed in Nanjing last year were infected via sex between men.
The new rules also extend the donor age limit by five years to 60 and confirm that it is a criminal offense for people to donate blood knowing they are banned or suffering from a disease.
Lu said that, so far, the local blood authority had found no cases where a banned or infected person had tried to donate.
Officials from the Shanghai Blood Administration Office said they were working on a new donor registration form to be filled in prior to health checks.
Previously, the form only asked if potential donors had engaged in recent risky sexual behavior.
The new one is expected to ask men if they are having sex with another man. Female donors will not be asked a similar question.
Donors who are found HIV positive in blood tests will be informed and their details passed to the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention for a final check.
"To ensure blood safety, we use very sensitive reagent, which can cause a false positive," said Meng Yan from the Shanghai Blood Center.
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