Under new regulations introduced by Health Canada, men who have had sex with another man even once in the past five years are considered unsuitable to donate their organs.

Under the Canadian Blood Donor Clinic Rules, a similar rule applies. With regards to blood donations, this also applies to people that lived in different African countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger and Nigeria.

Lets get some facts straight in this debate:

1. Blood & organs are checked for ALL types of diseases & filtered. African American immigrants & visitors are in fact checked before coming to Canada as well.

2. People are prevented from donating for life if they are: Canadian Blood Services

But they are check for HIV-I Group O, or other specific infections anyway because not only those people have that.

3. According to Public Health Agency of Canada:

“Heterosexual contact and injecting drug use are the two major risk factors for HIV infection in women.” - Public Health Agency of Canada Study

Health Canada:

“Today, according to Health Canada, much of the growth in the spread of HIV and AIDS involves intravenous drug use, aboriginals, and women between the ages of 15 and 29.” - CBC News in Depth: AIDS

What do professionals in the industry say?

“Dr. Steven Klinman, senior medical advisor with the American Association of Blood Banks, said that a lifetime ban isn’t necessary because HIV testing is so accurate now. But he said recent sex between men still presents a risk blood agencies can’t ignore.” CBC Article

4. HIV testing is very accurate now.

Therefore, if much of the growth in the spread of HIV and AIDS does not involve homosexual behavior & the blood and organ donations are actually checked for all types of diseases. Why then is Health Canada keep picking on homosexual men & certain African people? I can only wonder.

As a result of these lifetime bans, people become misinformed about who is at risk & who is not and gives heterosexual people a wrong sense of security. They truth is, we are all at risk to contract HIV & we should all be tested. After all, about 25% of those that have HIV, don’t even know it.

I thought we lived in a country were we don’t have institutional discrimination or prejudice towards marginalized groups in our society.

In a time when waiting lists for organs can reach years & and blood is in short supply… if I need Organs or blood, I would want all of it tested & available as soon as possible, my life would depend on it. I‘ll take those organs & blood if given the option rather then wait longer and risk loosing my life. I think the hundreds of people on the waiting list for organ donors would agree. Why not at least give that option? To decrease the potential list of eligible donors & send the wrong message in the process is just irresponsible. It also makes a lot of eligible people not want to donate blood or organs in protest.

Here is another helpful article:

Students want screening of blood donors changed

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 2, 2008 | 4:44 PM ET

CBC News

Some Canadian university groups are speaking out over what they feel are outdated and discriminatory screening practices for blood donors.

Several student groups and gay rights activists say they’re particularly concerned about Canadian Blood Services’ lifetime ban against blood donations from gay men. Their concerns largely stem from sections of a lengthy questionnaire potential donors need to fill out.

Question No. 18 of the blood agency’s questionnaire asks potential male donors if they have had sex with a man, even once since 1977. If the answer is yes, even if the person has practised safe sex and is in a monogamous relationship, he or she is instantly deemed ineligible to donate.

“It makes people believe that, yes, gay men are likely to have HIV, likely to have AIDS,” Andrew Brett, advocacy and outreach co-ordinator at the University of Toronto’s student union in Mississauga, told CBC News. “It kind of makes it official, and it’s like official discrimination.”

The student federation doesn’t condone banning blood drives on campuses although Brett noted that some student groups, including at York University in Toronto, have done so in the past.

Lorna Tessier, director of public relations with Canadian Blood Services in Ottawa, said she hasn’t heard of any cancellations. “We collect regularly at those sites,” she told CBC News on Wednesday.

Canadian Blood Services said it’s reliant on student donations. “We are very dependent on being able to do blood donor clinics in universities,” said Dr. Margaret Fearon, executive director of medical microbiology at the blood agency. She said students are mistaken to see the policy as a gay rights issue.

“People who receive blood have a right to safe blood. People do not have a right to donate blood. It’s a privilege, really.”

Many countries are struggling with the issue, in addition to Canada. In the U.S., a lifetime ban on men who have had homosexual encounters was upheld earlier this year, even though the American Red Cross recommended a change.

According to Tessier, Canadian Blood Services has begun research into whether more specific questions about risky behavior would be a better addition to the screening process.

Dr. Steven Klinman, senior medical advisor with the American Association of Blood Banks, said that a lifetime ban isn’t necessary because HIV testing is so accurate now. But he said recent sex between men still presents a risk blood agencies can’t ignore.