All over America this past week and in the weeks to come, people are being asked to donate blood to keep reserves full for victims, and replenish shortages.

Millions of people around the US would like to donate or are finding to people to donate. For thousands of Americans willing to donate, they cannot. These people are unable to donate due to discrimination. The Food and Drug Administration’s regulations on blood donation have, since 1985, barred any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 from donating.

A woman who has had sex with another woman isn’t restricted. A woman who has slept with a man in the last 12 months who has had gay sex in the last 24 years is restricted from donating for one year.

In this day and age there is no reason for these restrictions. Every unit of blood donated is tested for numerous diseases including HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, and others. In the 1980’s thousands were becoming ill with HIV/AIDS from blood donation. Today there are reports of two or three a year where human error caused the blood to either not be tested, or be labeled with the wrong test results.

Technology has changed on testing and safety of blood donation.

New technology undergoing approval by the FDA kills all pathogens in the blood except mad cow disease and ebola. To complain about blood donation shortages and then deny a large group of people who are willing to donate is more than discrimination. It’s counterproductive to maintaining the American value of humanity.

Joel Taylor

Freshman

Journalism and mass communication