On
an average day, Canadian hospitals need over 900 litres of blood. It is used to
help approximately one person every minute of every day in Canada. The shelf
life of blood is 42 days, and if donations suddenly stopped, the current stores
would be depleted in three days. The Capilano Students’ Union invited Canadian
Blood Services onto the campus in order to hold a blood drive on Jan 16.
“[The
students] were so bloody stoked!” says Teresa Grant, Capilano’s Social Justice Coordinator.
They were turning would-be donors away by 10:30. With more willing donors than available
materials to accept donations, Grant foresees a returning blood drive. UBC
donates approximately 40 units of blood twice a month and Douglas College does
the same once every two months.
“The
risk of not getting a blood transfusion when it’s needed is infinitely greater
than the risk of infection from receiving one,” states the American Red Cross.
While the blood from two donors can see someone through hip replacement surgery,
the needs of a car accident victim, according Canadian Blood Services (CBS),
could exceed 50 units of blood.
CBS
manages the blood supply in all Canadian provinces, excluding Quebec, and recently
has been under pressure from activist groups like the Canadian Federation of
Students for certain deferral practices. Although the Social Justice Committee
ran a dual campaign to inform students about the controversy regarding CBS concurrently
with the blood drive, Grant claims to have received an angry letter from a
student who felt discriminated against regarding the decision to host CBS on
campus.
Between
the late 1970s and 1990, due to lax screening processes and less advanced
testing methods, many people contracted HIV and thousands more fell victim to
Hepatitis C after receiving blood donations. Blood services in Canada at this
time were managed by the Red Cross, until a Royal Commission of Inquiry on the
blood system in Canada was held.
The
CBS was proposed as an arms-length incorporation in order to protect the
government from direct involvement, and to protect citizens of Canada from
future risks due to the old system (in which the transfusion services reported
to the Federal government). Blood test technology continued to improve and
screening became more strict. To this day, a would be donor is considered “high-risk”
if they have used any needle drugs, lived in any non-Commonwealth countries in Africa
since 1977, or suffered from a stroke, malaria, heart disease, syphilis,
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (the human form of mad cow), and any man who’s had
sex with a man (MSM) are blacklisted for life. The latter category has been
particularly controversial.
“We
clearly have a situation in which there are chronic blood shortages and we also
have a situation in which gay men are totally discriminated against,” according
to Dr Mark Wainberg, the head of the HIV program at Montreal’s Jewish General
Hospital.
The
Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is lobbying to eliminate lifetime bans of
MSM from donating blood to CBS through their End the Ban campaign. They suggest
that the deferrals go against Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that
with the latest technology for blood testing and screened consideration of lifestyle
habits, there is no reason not to repeal the rule.
When
asked about this testing, a logistics coordinator with CBS explains, “Blood
tests are still not 100 per cent [accurate] and that someone who’s HIV positive
might not know through a blood test until three to six months afterwards,” despite
claims of using the best technology available. The same representative admitted
that the lifetime deferral might not be perfect; however, “it’s really all up
to Health Canada.”
While
unrepresented members of the homosexual student body may still be left feeling
upset that they were unable to donate, the diplomatic efforts of Grant and the
SJC should be duly noted. Grant wrote a letter and posted it in the Queer Centre,
where she addressed the MSM ban.
“I
just wanted to ensure you that the Social Justice Committee has this in mind
while advocating for issues surrounding blood and that we will be distributing
materials with this position,” the letter reads. “Since the Canadian Blood Services
is the only organization to legally collect the donation of blood, we felt this
demand is something that effects us all so encouraging people to donate who are
eligible is still very important. This is why we will try to highlight both sides
as best as we can.” No further concerns have been brought to Grant’s attention
since the letter was posted.
By
the end of the blood drive, 35 people had donated blood at Capilano University,
with many students interested in donating in the future. In addition to saving
other people’s lives, donating blood has multiple health benefits for the individual
donor. Regularly donating blood can help prevent heart attack, cancer, and
cardiovascular disease, and has other proven health benefits as well.
//Liam
Park, writer
//Graphics
by Sarah Taylor
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