I received this note last week during a BIDMC bone marrow registration drive:
Hello Paul, I'm writing to let you know that I really felt like a second class citizen today, when I went to register at the Bone Marrow Registry drive and was turned away because I am a gay male. I've been in a monogamous relationship for many years and when I read that if you have sex with men you cannot be a donor, I was really upset. I asked for a clarification from one of the folks there and they did uphold the Red Cross blood donation restrictions. I was not the only person turned away today. I do feel better after writing this email to you but I just really wanted to let you know about this experience.
I inquired of one our leukemia specialists, who replied:
The national marrow donor program follows the rules used by the Red Cross to screen volunteer blood donors. This includes taking a personal history and excluding people with exposures that put them at increased risk for infectious diseases. Reasons for exclusion include sexual history but also travel exposures and other categories. I am sorry if a person who was enthusiastic to help felt frustrated by the process. It is imperfect but meant to protect all involved.
My reply:
I'm just surprised that homosexuality is still considered a risk factor.
The response:
Understood, this is a hard issue that we don't really have control over. On a positive note, the drive went really well and we had 77 new donors enrolled in the national marrow donor program that might one day be involved in offering life saving therapy to patients with blood cancers. Something for the BIDMC community to be really proud of.
Of course I understand why we have to follow the national rules on this matter, and we certainly are going to continue to seek volunteer donors. Here is a pertinent excerpt from the rules:
You should not give blood if you have AIDS or have ever had a positive HIV test, or if you have done something that puts you at risk for becoming infected with HIV. You are at risk for getting infected if you are a male who has had sexual contact with another male, even once, since 1977.
I wonder if people out there have an opinion on the clinical validity of this particular aspect of the rules. Is this still controversial or generally accepted? Here is one article I found from 2000 concerning a decision by the FDA to uphold this rule, and here is a more recent article on the general issue.
