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Associated Students of the University of Washington |
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A Resolution Supporting the Right of Gay and Bisexual Men to Donate Blood WHEREAS the FDA prohibits any male who has had sexual contact with a male after 1977 from donating blood, and WHEREAS this is an unfair, outdated, and unnecessary policy, and WHEREAS this 1985 decision by the FDA was made during a time of ignorance about the transmission and diagnosis of HIV, and WHEREAS the Blood Product Advisory Committee itself was divided 7-6 last time a vote was held to decide whether or not to keep this policy, and WHEREAS the Red Cross has extremely reliable HIV and AIDS testing procedures that they use on all blood they receive, and WHEREAS current testing recently approved by the Federal government can diagnose the presence of HIV within 10 minutes and with 99.6 percent accuracy, and WHEREAS homosexual males are no longer the fastest growing AIDS-infected group in the United States, and WHEREAS current FDA policies allow women who have had sex with multiple AIDS-infected partners, but have waited a year, to donate blood, while gay men who have had any sex within the past 25 years cannot, and WHEREAS many gay and bisexual males in the United States would like to give blood, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: THAT the ASUW recognizes that the current ban unnecessarily excludes gay and bisexual men from donating blood, and THAT the ASUW formally disapprove of the FDA's current policy regarding gay and bisexual men, and THAT the ASUW formally approve of efforts made by Pride Dawgs that advocate for a change in the current policy that reflects the current knowledge of HIV and AIDS. History of Legislation 11/25/2002: Legislation submitted for consideration |
Legislation ID: Date Submitted: Sponsor: Cosponsor(s): |