Ending a blood donation ban for gay and bisexual men is a cultural hot topic and Washington Times journalist Cheryl Wetzstein reached out to the American Council on Science and Health for the facts.
With advances in blood testing, deferral periods need not be years or even months, said Josh Bloom, director of chemical and pharmaceutical sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. I understand, with the emotional issue of HIV, why people want to be super-careful, but the ban implies that everybody walking around gay is HIV-positive, and that s certainly not the case.
Also, a new test for HIV measures the genetic material from the virus directly, instead of antibodies to the virus, said Mr. Bloom, who holds a doctorate in organic chemistry.
This HIV method is accurate and fast. So, if the questions are answered correctly, it makes no sense scientifically to exclude these donors, he said.
