Man, 66, turned away from blood donation center because he wouldn’t answer if he’s pregnant

Have we passed into the Age of Nonsense? It would appear so, when medical authorities defend the absurdity of requiring a man to answer if he is pregnant.

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STIRLING, SCOTLAND – Leslie Sinclair of Scotland is 66 years old. Not once in those 66 years has he ever been pregnant.

But in this new age of inclusiveness without sense, he was turned away from his local clinic when he went to donate blood because he would not answer the nonsensical question: “Are you pregnant or have you been in the last 6 months?”

The champion blood donor has given 125 pints of blood over the past 50 years and those appear to be his last, as the authorities have managed to doublespeak their way out of admitting the stupidity of asking a MALE PENSIONER if he is pregnant.

When the retired driver for an engineering company complained that as a man in his 60s this question did not apply and he should not have to answer it, he said staff at the clinic at Albert Halls told him they could not accept his blood.

 

The Monty Pythonesque stand-off is even more ridiculous as NHS England has just launched a campaign to recruit a million more blood donors over the next five years after numbers fell dramatically during the pandemic. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service began a drive earlier this month to find 16,000 new donors in the coming year.

But all potential donors are asked if they are pregnant to “promote inclusiveness” and because pregnancy is “not always visually clear,” according to Professor Marc Turner, director of SNBTS. He said:

 “We appreciate the support of each and every one of our donor community and thank Mr Sinclair for his commitment over a long number of years. Whilst pregnancy is only a relevant question to those whose biological sex or sex assigned at birth is female, sex assigned at birth is not always visually clear to 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.”

 

Angry at the refusal to take his blood, Sinclair walked away and spoke to the press of his frustration at the “nonsensical” decision. The father of two said:

“I am angry because I have been giving blood since I was 18 and have regularly gone along. I’m very happy to do so without any problem.

 

“There is always a form to fill in and that’s fine – they tend to ask about medical conditions or diseases – and clearly that’s because the blood needs to be safe. This time around, there was a question I hadn’t seen before: ‘Are you pregnant, or have you been in the last six months?’ which required a yes or no answer.

“I pointed out to the staff that it was impossible for me to be in that position but I was told that I would need to answer, otherwise I couldn’t give blood.

“I told them that was stupid and that if I had to leave, I wouldn’t be back, and that was it, I got on my bike and cycled away.

 

“It is nonsensical and it makes me angry because there are vulnerable people waiting for blood, including children, and in desperate need of help. But they’ve been denied my blood because of the obligation to answer a question that can’t possibly be answered.”

 

Sinclair said his wife Margaret, 59, was also appalled, adding:

“She just can’t understand it either.”

 

Pregnant women must wait six months after giving birth to donate blood, according to the NHS.

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William Henry
William Henry
1 year ago

Just like all new medical forms in WASHINGTON state!

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