If you're a man who wants to give blood, be sure that you're self-aware and medically certified.
For instance, you must be informed of the possibility of being impregnated.
It was a lesson that was learned through Leslie Sinclair this month. Sinclair, a central Scotland resident, was hoping to donate life-sustaining fluid to those who were in need. However, his efforts were met with an issue of coagulation.
As per The Daily Mail, the 66-year-old was presented with a questionnaire asking whether he was pregnant. Additionally, the hospital wanted to know if he had been knocked up in the past half-year.
The investigation was not exactly awe-inspiring:
In his complaint that being a man in his 60s , the question was not relevant and he shouldn't have to answer the question ,Sinclair claimed that the staff at the clinic informed him they were unable to take his blood.
It's a pity, since the blood supply in the UK is shockingly low:
The conflict occurred as NHS England launched a campaign this week to find millions of blood donors in the course of five years, following numbers having dropped during the epidemic. Its Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) launched a drive in the middle of this month to locate 16,000 potential donors over the next year.
We live in a time of re-evaluated priorities. It is evident that inclusion = life.
It was revealed [Thursday] night that potential donors are required to tell whether they're pregnant in order in order to “promote inclusiveness” and because the process of becoming pregnant can “not always be visually clear.”
It's true that Leslie may have provided the details of his uterus; however, at the end of the day Leslie decided that the condition of his uterus wasn't a person's right to know.
Sinclair was furious at the refusal to take his blood. Sinclair walked away and the next night, he spoke of his displeasure at this “nonsensical” decision.
Leslie isn't the first or the last person to be scrutinized in relation to his ovaries, or lack thereof. The medical profession is moving toward the sex-blind method:
“Breastfeeding Academy Slams ‘Breasts’”
“To include non-binary Parents, Hospitals Eliminate the terms ‘Breast Milk and ‘Father'”
“University renames its Women's Clinic, claiming that “Women” was medically inaccurate”
“Columbia Medical School's “Anti-Bias” Guidelines laud ‘People With Uteruses and Insist that ‘Race is a Social Construct'”
“Hospitals are Beginning to Ask Men if they're expecting”
Talking to the Mail, Leslie explained that blood donation was not just a recent idea that was conceived.
“I am angry as I've been donating blood since the age of 18 and have been regularly going through. I'm extremely happy to do it without any problems.”
Over the past fifty decades, this man donated more than 125 pints.
However, this was his first experience having encountered the pregnancy question.
“I informed the personnel that it was not possible for me to be in the position I was in, but I was told I had to be able to answer. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to offer blood.
“I said to them that I was foolish and that in the event that I had to go I would not be returning. Then it was over. I got my bike and pedaled around.
“It is absurd, and makes me mad because there are people who are in need of blood including children and desperately in need of assistance. However, they've been denied my blood because of the requirement to answer a question that cannot be addressed.”
To make things more difficult, Leslie isn't a biologist:
Mr. Sinclair said his wife Margaret, aged 59, was also shocked, adding: “She just can't understand it, either.” Women who are pregnant must wait for six months after the birth to give blood. Mr Sinclair, a former driver from an engineering firm, was at Stirling's Albert Halls in Stirling to donate blood on Wednesday.
Dr. Marc Turner, director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service heard Leslie's complaint, and replied:
“We are grateful for the help from each member of our donors and we thank the donor Mr. Sinclair for his commitment for a number of years. While the issue of pregnancy is only relevant to issue for those whose biological sex, or the sex that was given during birth was female the sex that is assigned at birth isn't always obvious to the staff.
“As a public body, we take cognizance of changes in society around how such questions may be asked without discrimination and have a duty to promote inclusiveness — therefore, all donors are now asked the same questions.”
It's a different world and even old-schoolers such as Leslie Sinclair must adjust. On the other hand, things are positive: the medical apparatus is well-trained and ready.
