I recently wrote this story for Mohawk’s school paper, The Satellite. It’s similar to this post I made in January, but his new story has a lot more research.
In December Health Canada put new regulations into force restricting gay men from donating organs. The regulations also restrict prisoners, drug users and prostitutes for their “high risk” activities.
This decision has recently come under fire for being unjustifiable and unenforceable.
Health Canada says that a man who has had sex with another man within the past five years would be excluded from donating organs due to a risk for transmission of infectious disease.
Health Canada also says that a gay man who has practiced abstinence for the past five years would be acceptable, likewise a straight man that has had a single sexual encounter with a man within the last five years would not be considered acceptable.
“All donors are screened for transmittable diseases prior to utilization of their organs regardless of their donor history,” said The Trillium Gift of Life Network in a media release.
“The risk factors are based on scientific evidence and are used in an assessment that evaluates behaviours and medical circumstances, and is not meant to target specific groups,” said Stéphane Shank a spokesperson for Health Canada when asked if there is a history of disease being transmitted through organ transplants.
Health Canada insists that these new regulations are merely guidelines. A loophole in the restrictions says that a gay man’s organs could be used if the patient and his or her doctor are aware of the donor’s lifestyle and mutually agree to accept the organ.
“Safety from infectious diseases is already protected by in depth clinical assessment. The only thing gained from labeling entire communities is to limit the prospect of badly needed organs being made available,” said Ontario’s Minister of Health, George Smitherman, who is also Canada’s first openly gay MPP. “Identity politics shouldn’t be allowed to imperil the lives on Ontarians who are languishing on waiting lists today.”
“Canada has one of the lowest organ donor rates in industrialize countries. That’s why it’s so important that Canadians, regardless of sexual orientation, continue to sign their donor card,” said Clare Stanton, the Information Coordinator for the Organ Donation and Transplant Association of Canada.
According to organdonations.ca, 4,240 people were on the waiting list for an organ in Canada in 2006 and about 250 people die each year in Canada while waiting for an organ.
