Advocates: FDA Blood Donation Ban Based On Stigma, Not Science
However, agency officials say the one-year guidance for gay men is in line with other countries' policies and note that every year some of the 3.5 million patients who receive transfusions are infected with various diseases. Meanwhile, an Orlando donation center that supplied blood to victims of the shooting confirmed that the gunman had given blood just before the massacre. And therapy dogs are bringing comfort to those affected.
The New York Times:
Orlando Shooting Renews Debate Over Limits On Gay Men Donating Blood
In the aftermath of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., 53 people were alive but wounded, many in desperate need of blood. Blood banks in the area put out a call for donors. Gay men were ready to volunteer. Rumors even went around that blood centers in Orlando had relaxed a ban on donations from sexually active gay men. But the rumors were false. The ban, imposed by the Food and Drug Administration, remains in place, infuriating some gay rights activists. (McNeil, 6/15)
ABC News:
Orlando Gunman Donated Blood Less Than Two Weeks Before Shooting
The gunman who killed dozens of people at a gay nightclub in Orlando gave blood to a donation center that provided much of the supply later used to help save injured club patrons. The OneBlood donation center confirmed today that Omar Mateen donated blood last month. In a statement, officials from the center said an employee recognized Mateen from a mobile blood drive. (Mohney, 6/15)
CBS News:
Therapy Dogs Deployed To Orlando
As the old saying goes, dogs are a man's best friend. But to those affected by the Orlando nightclub shooting, a pack of 12 golden retrievers have become the true companions to a broken community -- providing unconditional love and sloppy kisses to anyone they could get their paws on. Tim Hetzner is the president of a donation-based organization in Illinois that deploys a "sea of fur" - also known as K-9 Comfort Dogs -- to areas struck by crisis or natural disaster. (6/15)
