Dan Cowart: We must remain careful about HIV
Re “Blood donation ban on gay men draws scrutiny” (Page A5, Oct. 31): Perhaps it is discrimination to refuse blood from men who participate in gay sex, but it is discrimination with good cause. When 2 percent of the population is behind 60 percent of new HIV infections (FDA data), that reveals a gross disregard not only for one’s own life but also the life of one’s partner. How much can such persons then be trusted when it concerns the life of complete strangers through blood donations? Even with the most advanced tests there remains a window.
When 2 percent of the population is responsible for 2 percent of the infections then it will be time to question whether the ban should be lifted, not before.
Furthermore, it is not true that life-long bans do not exist for other groups. I lived in Europe for 10 years during the 1980s and have for that reason I have been banned from giving blood, supposedly to protect the population from “mad cow” disease. So it can hardly be discrimination to ban someone from giving blood when they belong to a group that is responsible for the majority of new HIV infections.
Dan Cowart, Modesto
This story was originally published November 3, 2014 at 6:52 PM with the headline "Dan Cowart: We must remain careful about HIV."