Challenge to Red Cross HIV policy
Ever since the AIDS epidemic commenced in the 80’s, and after initial failures to provide safe blood, the Red Cross has maintained a screening process for categories of blood donors so that gay and bisexual men, for example, are not accepted as donors.
Gay advocate Rodney Croome notes on his blog about how a Michael Cain has complained to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission that the Red Cross is applying old data and is discriminating because it fails to take into account whether the individual donor is engaging in safe sex, irrespective of their sexuality.
Croome notes that HIV infection through blood donations in Spain and Italy has dropped greatly since they changed to a policy of relying on the individual and their approach to safe sex.
