Abstinence, HIV And Blood Donation (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)

A 21 year-old gay man abstains from sex for a year so he can donate blood. That’s the law, but is that what it takes to keep the blood supply safe? We’ll look at science, fear and blood.

In the days after the terrible attack on the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, gay men flocked to give blood to help the many wounded. Most were turned away. U.S. law requires gay men to be abstinent – no sex – for a year before blood donation. It’s a policy with roots in the HIV-AIDS crisis. Critics say new testing has made it outdated. This hour On Point, science, fear, blood and the donations of gay men. Plus, we’ll look at the future of drug prices and manufacturing under Donald Trump. — Tom Ashbrook
Interview:
http://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2017/01/12/gay-blood-donation-abstinence