Posts
Carleton University’s student
government will debate tonight whether to change its current policy against
working with Canadian Blood Services. The Carleton University Student
Association says the CBS blood donor screening process, which forbids donations
from any man who has had sex with another man since 1977, is homophobic. CUSA
policy does not allow CBS to use its space, depriving the agency of prime
campus locations and student foot traffic.
Gina Parker, a student council
member, will move to overturn CUSA’s policy at its meeting tonight in the
Senate Room, on Robertson Hall’s sixth floor. Parker became involved with CBS
during the last year, after her younger brother’s leukemia diagnosis, and she
also has helped OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network.
“I understand their point
completely,” Parker said of CUSA’s policy motives. “I’m all for soliciting
blood donations of all types from all types of people, and I do find a flaw in
the donor-assessment questionnaire,” Parker said. “It’s just not fair for the
people who need it. I wanted to be a voice for those people, the people who
didn’t choose to get into a car accident or didn’t choose to get cancer.”
CBS is working on a proposal asking
Health Canada to narrow the policy to prohibit donations by any man who has had
sex with another man within the last five to 10 years, said Ron Vezina, a CBS
spokesperson. Australia and Britain recently moved to a one-year deferment; the
United States maintains a lifetime donation ban.
Donors being screened should be
asked about specific sexual acts and safety practices, since high-risk behavior
is not a matter of sexual orientation, said Arun Smith, a student and LGBT
activist. If CBS wants more blood donors, it should stop discriminating against
gay men, Smith said.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
