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Blanket Ban on Gay Organ Donation Goes Too Far

Submitted by Bob Rae on Thu, 01/10/2008 - 18:30.

Eighteen years ago I had the chance to be an organ donor, giving bone marrow to my brother David who was fighting lymphoma. Since that experience I have met many people who have been able to do the same thing, sometimes to people they know, sometimes anonymously because a search has shown that they are a good match for someone in need.

Health Canada has now put out regulations that in essence block all potential gay donors. Of course public safety comes first, but surely this goes too far. It's understandable to refuse donations from people who practice unsafe sex, or who inject themselves with drugs, but it's simply wrong to say that all gay donors should be banned without being given a chance to show they're not at risk. This is what happens now at the Toronto Hospital, which is the largest donor transplant centre in Canada, and Dr. Gary Levy has said publicly this week that he sees no reason to change their approach. He's right, and the new regulations should be changed to reflect what's working.

Let's not forget we have a country wide shortage of organ donors as it stands. That's the problem we're facing, let's deal with that.