Users' Choice
Vermont House opposes ban on gay, bi blood donors
The Vermont House has voted to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to lift its lifetime ban on blood donations by gay and bisexual men.
The ban was put in place in 1986 amid fear of HIV and AIDS, but supporters of lifting it say testing protocols have changed since then, and that it’s no longer scientifically and medically warranted. Others argue that the ban is discriminatory.
The resolution calls for a one-year period when blood should not be given after sexual contact with a man, rather than a lifetime ban.
A federal advisory group voted in June of 2010 to keep the ban in place. But supporters of the House resolution, which passed 129-2, say the British government and some international health organizations have changed their standards on the question.
Download a PDF of the current issue of Wisconsin Gazette and join our Facebook community.
