A Stitch in Haste

Just when there was some optimism that the FDA's irrational ban on all blood donations from gay males might reappear on the radar screen of policy priorities, word now comes that our northern neighbor -- generally thought to be far more enlightened on gay issues -- is relapsing into literally lethal bigotry:

A Health Canada regulation that bans most gay men from donating organs is scientifically unjustified, virtually unenforceable and could worsen critical transplant shortages, a prominent Toronto AIDS doctor says.

The regulation, which took effect in December and closely resembles blood-donor guidelines, prohibits organ donations from sexually active gay men, intravenous drug users and hepatitis victims.

[Dr. Gary Levy, head of Canada's largest organ transplant program] says transplant physicians will likely urge Health Canada to reconsider the ban to put the emphasis on high-risk behaviour, whether promiscuous sex or illicit needle use. In the end, however, Levy says transplant surgeons will continue to make the final decision on which organs are suitable for use.

No sane gay activist believes that blood or organ donations should not be screened for HIV or other diseases. Nor would we advocate that gay men -- or anyone else -- who is the least bit uncertain as to their status should donate blood or organs.

But many if not most of us know -- know -- that we are of no risk to the blood or organ supply, for the simple reason that we engage in no high-risk behavior. Given the utterly desperate need for both blood and organs in the U.S. and Canada, the Aristotelian mean between "no testing" and "no donating" -- informed self- and pre-screening based on behavior, coupled with testing of the tissue after the fact -- is surely the preferred policy approach, assuming that the goal is public health and not pandering to bigotry.

Perhaps that's simply too great an assumption.