HOBART, August 20, 2008  –  Questions  necessary to establish if a potential gay blood donor is able to give blood would take too long, Dr Brenton Wylie, from the Australian Red Cross, told the anti-discrimination Tribunal today.

Concluding a day of evidence and cross examination, Dr Wylie claimed that the questions would take too long and would see regular donors “walk out”.

Ms Monica Nash from “Look Back”, the programme which monitors infection through blood transfusion, was cross-examined by lawyers for gay donation litigant, Michael Cain.

For legal reasons, the evidence given by Ms. Nash cannot be made public.  The Tribunal ruled that information related to individual cases of HIV infection through transfusion not be made public.

The last stage of the hearing begins next Tuesday with final submissions, and responses to final submissions, from both parties.

The current gay blood donation inquiry before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal was instigated by Launceston gay man Michael Cain who is seeking a blood donation policy which screens donors for the safety of their sexual activity rather than the gender of their sexual partner.

SEE ALSO

Gay Blood Ban Hearing: Red Cross Ignores Concerns from Experts and AMA.   The Australian Red Cross has ignored the expert opinion of its chief medical advisor on low risk sexual activity between men, it was claimed today.  (UK Gay News, August 19, 2008)

Gay Blood Ban Hearing: Screen Donors for Risky Sex, Not Partner’s Gender – Aids Expert.  An Australian Aids expert has told the Tasmanian inquiry into the gay blood ban that it is time for donors to be screened for risky sexual activity, not their partner’s gender. (UK Gay News, August 18, 2008)

HIV Infection From Gay Blood Donation Likely “Once Every 5769 Years”.  The Tribunal hearing a case against the Australian Red Cross gay blood ban has been told today that if the current bar on gay blood donation is lifted, a single HIV-positive blood donation from a gay man will slip through clinical screening in Tasmania once every 197 years.  (UK Gay News, August 15, 2008)

Bio-Ethicists Address Gay Blood Donor Hearings.  Two bio-ethicists today addressed the inquiry underway in Tasmania into gay blood donation.  (UK Gay News, August 13, 2008)

Tasmanian ‘Gay Blood’ Inquiry Hears that Safe Sex Works.  An inquiry into the current ban on gay blood donation has heard that safe sex is effective in reducing HIV risk.  Social researcher, Associate Professor Anne Mitchell, today told the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal that risky sexual activity is not as widespread amongst gay and bisexual men as some studies suggest.  Full witness statement of Prof. Anne Mitchell. (UK Gay News, August 12, 2008)

Gay Blood Ban Hearing: Red Cross Accused of “Scare Tactics”.   Gay activists have accused the Red Cross of scare tactics on the first day of a hearing into Australia’s gay blood ban, in Hobart today.  (UK Gay News, August 7, 2008)

Groundbreaking Gay Blood Ban Case Starts Thursday.  The first full hearing in a groundbreaking gay blood ban case begins in Hobart, Tasmania, on Thursday before the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal.  (UK Gay News, August 5, 2008)

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Posted: 19 August 2008 at 12:30 (UK time)