Why people should reject any organ donation from gay people? The reason is fairly straightforward and simple: they are not safe and clean.
According to the U.S. Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), men who have had sex with other men (MSM), at any time since 1977 (the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the United States) because, as a group, they are at increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and certain other infections that can be transmitted by transfusion.
FDA's primary responsibility with regard to blood and blood products is to assure the safety of patients who receive these life-saving products. FDA uses multiple layers of safeguards in its approach to ensuring blood safety, which include donor screening and deferral based on risk factors, blood testing for markers of infection, inventory controls, and deferral registries. The use of these multiple layers helps to assure the safety of the products in the event that one layer fails.
A history of male-to-male sex is associated with an increased risk for exposure to and transmission of certain infectious diseases, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Men who have had sex with other men represent approximately 2 percent of the US population, yet are the population’s most severely affected by HIV.
In 2010, MSM accounted for at least 61 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S. and an estimated 77 percent of diagnosed HIV infections among males were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact.
Between 2008 and 2010, the estimated overall incidence of HIV was stable in the U.S. However, the incidence in MSM increased 12 percent, while it decreased in other populations. The largest increase was a 22 percent increase in MSM aged 13 to 24 years. Since younger individuals are more likely to donate blood, the implications of this increase in incidence need to be further evaluated.
FDA's deferral policy is based on the documented increased risk of certain transfusion transmissible infections, such as HIV, associated with male-to-male sex and is not based on any judgment concerning the donor's sexual orientation.
What about men who have had a low number of partners, practice safe sex, or who are currently in monogamous relationships?
Having had a low number of partners is known to decrease the risk of HIV infection. However, to date, no donor eligibility questions have been shown to reliably identify a subset of MSM (e.g., based on monogamy or safe sexual practices) who do not still have a substantially increased rate of HIV infection compared to the general population or currently accepted blood donors. In the future, improved questionnaires may be helpful to better select safe donors, but this cannot be assumed without evidence.
According to the U.S. Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), men who have had sex with other men (MSM), at any time since 1977 (the beginning of the AIDS epidemic in the United States) because, as a group, they are at increased risk for HIV, hepatitis B and certain other infections that can be transmitted by transfusion.
FDA's primary responsibility with regard to blood and blood products is to assure the safety of patients who receive these life-saving products. FDA uses multiple layers of safeguards in its approach to ensuring blood safety, which include donor screening and deferral based on risk factors, blood testing for markers of infection, inventory controls, and deferral registries. The use of these multiple layers helps to assure the safety of the products in the event that one layer fails.
A history of male-to-male sex is associated with an increased risk for exposure to and transmission of certain infectious diseases, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Men who have had sex with other men represent approximately 2 percent of the US population, yet are the population’s most severely affected by HIV.
In 2010, MSM accounted for at least 61 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S. and an estimated 77 percent of diagnosed HIV infections among males were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact.
Between 2008 and 2010, the estimated overall incidence of HIV was stable in the U.S. However, the incidence in MSM increased 12 percent, while it decreased in other populations. The largest increase was a 22 percent increase in MSM aged 13 to 24 years. Since younger individuals are more likely to donate blood, the implications of this increase in incidence need to be further evaluated.
FDA's deferral policy is based on the documented increased risk of certain transfusion transmissible infections, such as HIV, associated with male-to-male sex and is not based on any judgment concerning the donor's sexual orientation.
What about men who have had a low number of partners, practice safe sex, or who are currently in monogamous relationships?
Having had a low number of partners is known to decrease the risk of HIV infection. However, to date, no donor eligibility questions have been shown to reliably identify a subset of MSM (e.g., based on monogamy or safe sexual practices) who do not still have a substantially increased rate of HIV infection compared to the general population or currently accepted blood donors. In the future, improved questionnaires may be helpful to better select safe donors, but this cannot be assumed without evidence.