Students' unions ban blood service for gay discrimination
Nov 11 2008 by Chris Robinson, The Journal
TWO students’ unions have banned the National Blood Service (NBS) from promoting itself in their buildings because they say it discriminates against gay male students.
Both Newcastle and Sunderland University’s elected councils voted to approve the motion to ban the service from having a “visible” presence in its buildings.
Currently the NBS has a policy preventing homosexual men from donating blood because they are deemed a ‘high risk’ category of contracting blood-borne viruses, including HIV and Hepatitis B.
Donation sessions are still operated on campus by universities, but the ban prevents would-be donors from accessing information and advertising.
Last night the mother of a girl who’s life-saving surgery relied heavily on blood transfusions said she was alarmed at the stance. Carol Olley, of Houghton-le- Spring, Sunderland, mother of 21-year-old heart transplant survivor Kaylee Davidson said: “This rule could cost lives. Kaylee would have died if it wasn’t for all the blood that people had donated and it will be a tragedy if this boycott means someone doesn’t donate blood.”
Both Newcastle and Sunderland University’s policies have been in place from 2005. The region’s three other higher education centres at Northumbria, Durham and Teesside do not currently have a ban in place. Greg Du Bois, Sunderland University’s student union president said that the executive committee voted to reinstate the policy this year after the ban was lifted the previous 12 months.
Mr Du Bois added that the university had a “strong” Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) society.
He said: “The ban has been in place for about four years. They don’t allow gay men to give blood and that has been determined as not a satisfactory reason. It’s the view of the LGBT society that it’s unfair to discriminate against gay men.”
Will Richens, president of Newcastle University’s union society, added: “This policy was then followed up in June 2007 following the Government’s response to a petition on the matter.
“The response reinforced the policy to exclude gay men from blood donations, so it was resolved for the union to continue in its efforts to campaign against this stance.”
A spokesperson for the National Blood Service said it has a “public duty” to ensure a sufficient supply of safe blood to meet the needs of patients in England and North Wales. However research is currently under way as to whether its policy could be relaxed to allow men who have sex with men to donate blood one year after their last sexual contact.
A spokesperson added: “While our stringent procedures make such transmissions extremely rare, we start from the premise that any transmission is one too many.
“In order to assure the continued safety of the blood supply, we currently ask those in groups shown to have a particularly high risk of carrying blood-borne viruses not to give blood.
“While safer sex, through the use of condoms, does reduce the transmission of infections, it cannot eliminate the risk altogether. The reason for this exclusion rests on specific sexual behaviour rather than the sexuality of the person wishing to donate. There is, therefore, no exclusion of gay men who have never had sex with a man nor of women who have sex with women. The policy would only be changed on the basis of clear evidence that patients would not be put at jeopardy. In addition, scientific advances in virus testing and inactivation are monitored. Any significant new developments in this area could lead to the policy being reviewed.”
