Rodger Middleton of the Animal Resource Center at HMS donated blood, despite a fear of needles. He said that the prospect of helping to save a life was more important than worrying about the needle prick. Middleton was encouraged by Daniel Beaudoin from HSPH Operations, pictured donating blood in the background.

Blood donation becomes particularly important during the summer months, when supplies traditionally run low, according to Donna Morrissey, Divisional Director of Public Relations and Corporate Affairs, American Red Cross Blood Services -Northeast Division.

Student Group Draws Attention to Deferral Policy

Protesting the presence of the Red Cross at the School were representatives of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Alliance (LGBTA), an HSPH student group. The LGBTA student group disagrees with the Red Cross' policy of deferring donations from men who have had sex with other men since 1977 and from people who have lived in certain African countries since 1977. A statement describing the position of the LGBTA student group was made available by the group's president, A. Eric Whitney, at a table near the donation site. It read in part: "The policies of the Red Cross are outdated and inconsistent with HIV public health prevention messaging, which states that what you do, not who you are, determines risk for HIV."

In addition, Whitney takes issue with the use of the term deferral, which he says implies delay as opposed to outright denial.

Whitney said that he recognizes the need for blood donation, but felt that the Red Cross should not have been invited to the School because he perceives the donor deferral policies as discriminatory. He reports that in response to the concerns raised by the student group, several people chose to donate blood at Children's Hospital instead of at HSPH. The LGBTA student group has collected signatures on a petition to be submitted to the deans of the school requesting that HSPH limit access to groups that do not comply with the School's non-discrimination policy.

Donna Morrissey, a Red Cross representative, said that the Food and Drug Administration regulates the blood banking industry. All blood collection agencies, including the American Red Cross, are required to follow FDA guidelines, which set the current deferral of men who have had sex with other men since 1977. Donated blood undergoes testing, but the tests are not 100 percent effective, said Morrissey, adding that ensuring the safety of the blood supply is the organization's top priority. She said that she would welcome discussing the Red Cross' deferral policies and can be reached at morrisseydo@usa.redcross.org.

SSRE member Elizabeth Heilig, who co-chaired the blood drive, said, "We are very happy the blood drive was a success-and, while we agree with Eric that the FDA's rules need to be revisited in light of changing trends in HIV infection patterns and improved testing methods-we see the blood supply as a vital resource for everyone in our community and wanted to encourage everyone who is able to donate to do so as often as possible, as a responsibility to our community."