Organ Donation and Homosexuals

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hey everyone. I had a pt come into the ER in full cardiac arrest. Didn't make it. 56 yr old really sad. He had a life partner who was extremely distraught and actually signed in to get medication to calm down. Anyway, he specifically told us about his partner being an organ donor. Even the coroner who came and ruled this a cardiac death mentioned to make sure about organ donation.

I call kidney one go through all their ?s and what happened. Then I progress to the next level and another rep calls me back go through EVERYTHING all over. Finally I mentioned something about the pt's life partner and slap instantly this pt's rejected due to "high risk behavior."

Now from my understanding the thing probably of concern is transmitting aids even with the organs tested if just infected will not show up. I really think this couple was in a monogamous relationship. They had been together for over 5 years. The guy was probably much healthier and less riskier than some other organs donated. I can see that with anal sex you can cause tearing more and transmit aids and that is probably the high risk the criteria is for but is ther percentage that great to reject organs for donation? I heard people with tatoos are rejected for blood (I don't know about organ donation). Still even with this in mind I was still quite surprised. Especially it deemed "high risk behavior." Because that is not necesarilly so. I would think risky behavior is multiple sex partners and yes that is but that's with all groups.

I mentioned this to my friend and instantly she states it's like this because aids is "astronomical" in homosexual populations. Is that really so? I know she is against homosexuality very much and absolutely know that is in her mind as well but with anal sex there is more tearing and potential but does anybody know actual numbers from an acredited sorce? I know in the 80s aids was really pushed out there because it was found in the homosexual poplulation. I suppose I can look on a main aids site or gov type thing. I'm comming accross just random pages with no substance to back it.

Is this risk really that relavant? And should it be deemed "high risk." And one article I read type cast homosexuals in general so what about lesbians? I know donations have to be screened excessively but is this too much?

--broke my huge paragraph up hope it helps to read it!!

Specializes in home health, neuro, palliative care.
Fastest growing new AIDS cases is actually heterosexual females...(saw a special on Discovery channel)

So what about all the women who experiment with anal sex? Is sad to me that this shows that all the AIDS phobia is still around.

THANK YOU, Larry. AIDS is rising again amongst gay men, but the greatest population in the US is currently Black hetro females. Blacks in general have the highest rates. We represent about 13% of the US population, but one half of the new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States are from the Black community(cdc.gov). Another thing to keep in mind is the risk is anal sex, an act not all gay men practice. Personally, I would rather have a gay man's kidney then one from some straight men I know.

~Mel'

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
TOTALLY agree Tweety. a nurse is "exposed" to EVERYTHING.... so maybe nurses shouldnt be able to donate blood or organs. do to their "high risk" atmosphere.

On a related side note; Soldiers that have spent a certain number of days in certain countries overseas cannot donate blood, either.

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Specializes in med surg.

I think that denying a homosexual person to donate organs is completely judging them.

I'm an organ donor, and for all anyone knows, I could sleep with a different guy every night. It takes a while for your blood to show you have HIV, so I could exhibit high risk behavior, but my organs would be accepted whereas a homosexual man's wouldn't. This double standard infuriates me.

What if you hadn't said anything about the man being homosexual, would his organ's have been used anyway? Or do you have to declare a sexual preference?

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Specializes in med surg.

Oh, and I know that everyone's blood is tested, but a person could lie about answering the questions. (I don't know why, but they could). I can't imagine that there would be consequences about lying for you, just who would be getting your blood.

I'm thinking especially of people who donate plasma because you can make money. Some of the people who stand outside those places (because the line is so long it forms out the door) because they can make a quick 20 dollars may lie on the questionnaires so that they can get money. Are there consequences for lying?

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Specializes in ER (new), Respitory/Med Surg floor.

What if you hadn't said anything about the man being homosexual, would his organ's have been used anyway? Or do you have to declare a sexual preference?

I was explaining the pt's symptoms and mentioned "his life partner said...." and I was cut off and he was denied. I've allways just called the kidney line and they ask all the questions. This situation just has never came up before and was surprised by it knowing as others pointed out how well do you know people's sexual practices anyway.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
I was explaining the pt's symptoms and mentioned "his life partner said...." and I was cut off and he was denied. I've allways just called the kidney line and they ask all the questions. This situation just has never came up before and was surprised by it knowing as others pointed out how well do you know people's sexual practices anyway.

Z posted earlier a good concern as to whether this is policy, or the individual kidney line representative's bias getting in the way?

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Specializes in med surg.

It really appauls me. I wonder what could be done though to allow homosexuals to donate their organs if they wanted to. Anybody could have HIV. There are too many people out there who need organs to deny someone for donating their own on a not much more then a guess...

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
You know, if myself or a family member was going to die without a transplant of some kind and there was another person willing to donate I would take it regardless of sexual preference. I guess I just don't understand. It's sad to think someone's life could have possibly been saved, but because the person was homosexual he couldn't donate an organ to save that life.What if it is a heterosexual who has had an active sex life? Are they disqualified too?smoo

Smoo, I agree 100%. This makes me sad and disgusted it is wasteful and insensitive. Just for the record if I ever need a transplant I would be honored to receive organs from a homosexual person, or any person at all for that matter, sheesh.

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Case Management, also OR/OB.

I'm no infectious disease expert, I just know that When I went to donate blood, and had been out of the country on a cruise that year, I was told couldn't donate for one full year, due to possible exposure to weird stuff (???????). As far as homosexual males being denied the opp to donate organs, this may follow the same guidelines as blood donation, I don't know (no high risk behaviors, blah blah). Kinda odd, since the American Red Cross was the last one to get on board with testing etc. in the late 80's early 90's (read Randy Shilts' book And the Band Played On. Oh well, I still think it's a shame when people are dying with a need for new kidneys, corneas, etc.

Thanks for the topic

Morghan ARNP

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Specializes in PICU, Nurse Educator, Clinical Research.
I think that way it is looked at as far as blood donation and organs as well is that the exchange of fluids from even one homosexual encounter is far greater than that of a needle stick. As well there are some instances of a people developing HIV infection as far as 10 yrs out from said encounters.

Rj

It's not an exchange of fluids from a HOMOSEXUAL encounter- it's an exposure to fluids from an INFECTED individual during anal intercourse. The encounter could easily be (and frequently is) from a hetero encounter. Also, the statement about the risk of one encounter isn't true- the transmission rate after one encounter is actually quite low- the virus just isn't very hardy. Getting a needle stick from a Hep-C+ patient, on the other hand, is VERY risky.

And, for the record, the estimate I've been hearing is that 50% of americans with HIV don't know they have it. So, that would pretty much exclude anyone who has condomless sex with anyone else whose HIV status they don't know.

That would exclude a HUGE number of people.

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Specializes in Medical Telemetry, LTC,AlF, Skilled care.

This is an issue that really disturbs me and has for a while. I know last year I tried to donate blood for the first time and was treated like I had the Black Plague when they found out my sexual preference. It really upset me when it happened I just thought of all the people who needed blood and yet I couldn't help them out. It's really odd, I mean I get my STD and HIV screens done religiously every 6 months, have never tested positive for anything and yet still I'm blackballed. Oh well if no one wants my blood or organs I'll just take 'em with me :chuckle

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