The comprehensive resource for vacations and hotels marketed to the LGBT community
HOME
| ARCHIVE | EMAIL US | TRAVEL SECTION
AUSTRALIA
Gay Blood Donor Case in Australia Hears Final “Crucial” Evidence
|
LANGUAGE OPTIONS This article is only available in English. For online instant translation in selected other languages, see below. |
HOBART, October 31, 2008 – Gay activists have described as “crucial” final evidence presented today to the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal in a case initiated by Launceston gay man, Michael Cain, against the Australian gay blood ban.
In a written statement, leading US epidemiologist and bio-statistician, Dr Scott Halpern, challenged calculations of risk associated with allowing gay blood donation that were also presented today by Australian epidemiologist and former Red Cross advisor, Prof John Kaldor.
Dr Halpern said that Prof Kaldor had significantly over-estimated the prevalence of HIV in the gay community and failed to distinguish multiple from monogamous relationships in a way which “will result in the highest possible risk”.
According to Dr Halpern, “it is likely that there are certain groups of heterosexual men whose risk of transmitting HIV via blood donation is at least as high as, if not higher than, the risk among certain groups of MSM (men who have sex with men)”.
In cross examination, counsel for Mr Cain pointed out that Prof Kaldor’s own estimates of the HIV-transmission risk associated with heterosexual men who have unsafe sex and gay men who have safe sex is almost the same.
There is currently no barrier to heterosexual men who have unsafe sex giving blood, something Mr Cain is seeking to change by replacing the existing ban on gay blood donation with a bar on blood donation from anyone who has unsafe sex.
Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome, described today’s evidence as crucial to the long-running case.
“Even the Red Cross’s own former advisor has admitted that there is equivalence of risk between some heterosexuals who currently give blood and some homosexuals who can’t,” Mr Croome said.
“If we incorporate the statistics which experts for Michael Cain contend are closer to reality, what we find is that quite a few of the gay men who are currently unable to give blood are far less of a threat to the blood supply than many of the heterosexuals who currently do give blood.”
Also today, counsel for Mr Cain summed up the legal aspects of the case, arguing that there are no legislative impediments to the Tribunal declaring the current gay blood ban to be discriminatory.
Closing submissions on the medical aspects of the case will begin next Friday at 9.15 am.
For more information on gay blood donation visit www.gayblooddonation.org
Seed Newsvine
Got an opinion on this article? Leave your comment here.
How to contact UK
Gay News
Email:
editorial(at)ukgaynews.org.uk Phone
0789 999 5439
(UK)
+44 789 999 5439 (international)
AIM messenger: UKGayNews;
Skype messenger: ukgaynews
SEE ALSO
HIV Researcher Says STIs No Basis for Gay Blood Ban. HIV researcher, Prof John Kaldor, has agreed rates of sexually transmitted diseases other than HIV are not a basis upon which to ban gay men from blood donation. The concession came during evidence from Prof. Kaldor to the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal hearing into gay blood donation which continued in Hobart today. (UK Gay News, September 30, 2008)
HIV Researcher Questions Blanket Gay Blood Ban, But Still Endorses It. In a mixed result for gay blood donation campaigners, a senior HIV researcher has labelled the current ban on gay blood donation as “conservative” but still endorsed it. (UK Gay News, September 29, 2008)
Gay Blood Ban Hearing: Questions for Gay Donors Would Take Too Long, Red Cross Claims. 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. (UK Gay News, August 20, 2008)
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)
LINK
 |
website |
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Licence.
|
Posted: 31 October 2008 at 07:30 (UK time) |
