Gay blood: tainted?
Well, that's what a decision by the Food and Drug Administration seems to suggest. But it's crazy, and bad public policy.
On Wednesday, the FDA reaffirmed a policy in place since 1983 that prohibits gay men from donating blood. The Red Cross and other blood groups have been criticizing the policy as "medically and scientifically unwarranted," and have been demanding that the FDA change it. But the FDA said no. Of course, that's the modus operandi for the Bush administration anyway, isn't it? They institute (or don't institute, as the case may be) lots of policies that are scientifically unsupported.
So it seems the FDA can't protect the American public from dangerous drugs and foods - and we've seen lots of examples of that recently - but they'll make damn sure no one is tainted by gay blood. Thanks, FDA! Keeping America safe... Welcome to the American Dark Ages.
Comments
Apparently, our nation's intelligence apparatus will no longer be threatened by gay interpretations of the Arabic language either...
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/23/america/NA-GEN-US-Military-Gays.php
I mean, it's not like we have a shortage of people who understand Arabic...
http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/10876.html
Posted by: Jude | May 24, 2007 11:28 AM
You beat me to it, Jude. I was going to do a post on that article, too. It was going to be titled "You may know Arabic, but you're too gay for us." It's insane in the first place that we make an issue out of gays in the military, but this makes it seem like we're more afraid of gay Americans than islamic fundamentalist terrorists.
The NY Times reported recently that England has not stopped gay Britons from serving, and no discord has occurred. So the main argument against gays serving is clearly bunk.
Posted by: Mike Visser | May 24, 2007 6:53 PM