By Arthur Caplan
Art Caplan has published an opinion piece at NBCNews.com calling for an end to the ban on blood donation by gay men in the United States:
The United States is facing a health care crisis.
Our supply of blood is dangerously low. The American Red Cross reports that across the nation blood donations were down an estimated 10 percent in June — about 50,000 fewer donations than in May.
In the face of a blood supply shortage that is bad and likely to get worse, there is a group of people — gay men — who might ease the situation, if only they were allowed to help.
Gay men who want to donate blood are forbidden because of an outdated, non-scientific regulation that bans anyone who has had sex “even once” with another man since 1977.
It is long past time to let those who want to help others by donating blood do so.
Read the full column.
