July 31, 2007 | Health Matters

It's in you to give... but you can't

The President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, did the unthinkable last week: he signed an executive decree permitting gay men to donate blood in his country. Gasp!

"President Arias has always treated us with equality, (and) has made it clear that we are humans and have the same rights. For us it is a victory of a fight that began last October, when (we) started collecting signatures", said Alberto Cabezas, the activist who organized the challenge to end the prohibition against gay and bisexual men giving blood.

Tough restrictions still exist in the US and Canada. But "gay people are allowed to donate," argues Peter MacDonald, a regional director of Canadian Blood Services. "It’s men who have slept with other men that would be deferred."

Which begs the question: what the hell is Peter smoking?