Dear Readers,

In this time of great crisis, the Red Cross has called for blood donations.  On another board, a well intentioned hobbyist urged people to go out and donate blood, not realizing the current screening policy.

I know that all of our hearts are in the right place, but in case you were thinking about donating blood, be aware that most of us will not qualify if we answer the screening questions honestly.  They will ask you if you have had sex with someone who has taken money for sex in the last year (or sometimes 6 months) if you have, they will reject you, and ask that your return in one year when you have a clean slate.

They do test the blood that is donated, but HIV cannot be reliably detected until 3-6 months after exposure, sometimes more, hence the the waiting period.

I know that most of us are very safe, but I agree with this policy, we take higher risks than the general population, and it is not fair to expose others knowingly to the higher risks we accept, even if we believe them to be negligible.

Please consider a monetary donation, or another form of support.

The following link describes blood donation policy.
http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/depts/blooddonor/guide.htm

Iceman