Negotiating risk-group categorization and the co-production of blood safety: the evolution of sociotechnical imaginaries mobilized in the public debate on the deferral of men who have sex with men as blood donors in Belgium

Wittock, Nathan; Hustinx, Lesley

doi:10.1057/s41292-019-00161-9

Cited by 7 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Like in other country contexts, we believe that key blood donation policymakers and professionals in Canada are also “seeking a balance between technoscientific reasoning and sensitivity to social and political considerations among the citizens they aim to serve and from whom they attract their blood donors” ( Wittock & Hustinx, 2019 , p. 3). We are hopeful that in the next iteration of policy reform efforts, the significant quantitative and qualitative research collected as part of these national studies will meaningfully contribute to alternative blood donation policy change efforts that have, at their core, a desire to use science to inform an evidence-based, safe, and just national blood donation policy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drawing upon a critical analysis of national and supranational European blood practices for MSM, with a specific focus on the evolution of the discursive framing of blood policy in Belgium over the last 14 years, Wittock and Hustinx (2019 , p. 4) argue that the negotiation of MSM donor deferral in heterogeneous networks of scientists, the knowledgeable public, policymakers, stakeholder associations, national and international political institutions, and the developers and users of technology is part of a more general process of co-producing what it means for blood to be safe, and for candidate donors to be safe donors. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rather than conducting an analysis of key policy texts, correspondence, and media accounts as Wittock and Hustinx (2019) have done, our interviews have allowed us to consider participants’ reflections upon alternative blood donation futures and how the policy has symbolic meaning for them ( Yanow, 1996 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The initial blood ban for MSM was followed by three phases of reduction—what some have termed policy “relaxation” ( Wittock & Hustinx, 2019 )—of successively reduced periods for time-based deferment; that is, MSM could donate only if they did not have oral or anal sex in a given period of time and met all other eligibility criteria. The first policy relaxation occurred in 2013, with the implementation of a 5-year period of sexual abstinence for MSM to be eligible donors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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It’s in Me to Give: Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination

et al. 2020

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Blood donation policies governing men who have sex with men have shifted significantly over time in Canada—from an initial lifetime ban in the wake of the AIDS crisis to successive phases of time-based deferment requiring periods of sexual abstinence (5 years to 1 year to 3 months). We interviewed 39 HIV-negative gay, bisexual, queer, and other sexual minority men (GBM) in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal to understand their willingness to donate blood if eligible. Transcripts were coded following inductive thematic analysis. We found interrelated and competing expressions of biological and sexual citizenship. Most participants said they were “safe”/“low risk” and “willing” donors and would gain satisfaction and civic pride from donation. Conversely, a smaller group neither prioritized the collectivizing biological citizenship goals associated with expanding blood donation access nor saw this as part of sexual citizenship priorities. Considerable repair work is required by Canada’s blood operators to build trust with diverse GBM communities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

It’s in Me to Give: Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination

et al. 2020

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“…Currently, men in Canada cannot donate blood or plasma if they have been sexually active (oral or anal intercourse) with another man in the last 3 months [15]. This sexual behaviour time-based deferment policy has decreased over time, from a lifetime ban introduced in 1983 in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, to fiveyears (2013), one-year (2016), and now to a three-month deferment (2019) [5,25,26]. These trends in Canada are in keeping with recent policy changes in France, Japan, Denmark, the United States, and the United Kingdom, that have shifted from indefinite bans to time-based deferments of between 3 to 6 months [6,27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stepping Stones or Second Class Donors?: a qualitative analysis of gay, bisexual, and queer men’s perspectives on plasma donation policy in Canada

et al. 2021

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Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) are not eligible to donate blood or plasma in Canada if they have had sex with another man in the last 3 months. This time-based deferment has reduced since 2013; from an initial lifetime ban, to five-years, one-year, and now three-months. Our previous research revealed that gay, bisexual, queer, and other MSM (GBM) supported making blood donation policies gender-neutral and behaviour-based. In this analysis, we explored the willingness of Canadian GBM to donate plasma, even if they were not eligible to donate blood. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with 39 HIV-negative GBM in Vancouver (n = 15), Toronto (n = 13), and Montreal (n = 11), recruited from a large respondent-driven sampling study called Engage. Men received some basic information on plasma donation prior to answering questions. Transcripts were coded in NVivo following inductive thematic analysis. Results Many GBM expressed a general willingness to donate plasma if they became eligible; like with whole blood donation, GBM conveyed a strong desire to help others in need. However, this willingness was complicated by the fact that most participants had limited knowledge of plasma donation and were unsure of its medical importance. Participants’ perspectives on a policy that enabled MSM to donate plasma varied, with some viewing this change as a “stepping stone” to a reformed blood donation policy and others regarding it as insufficient and constructing GBM as “second-class” donors. When discussing plasma, many men reflected on the legacy of blood donor policy-related discrimination. Our data reveal a significant plasma policy disjuncture—a gulf between the critical importance of plasma donation from the perspective of Canada’s blood operators and patients and the feelings of many GBM who understood this form of donation as less important. Conclusions Plasma donor policies must be considered in relation to MSM blood donation policies to understand how donor eligibility practices are made meaningful by GBM in the context of historical disenfranchisement. Successful establishment of a MSM plasma donor policy will require extensive education, explicit communication of how this new policy contributes to continued/stepwise reform of blood donor policies, and considerable reconciliation with diverse GBM communities.

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Science in action? A critical view of UK blood donation deferral policy and men who have sex with men

Fisayo

2021

Health Planning & Management

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The rules that govern blood donation vary globally. Some potential blood donors are ineligible for immediate blood donation, and as such are deferred until such time that they become eligible. This practice, the blood donation deferral period, is intended to reduce the risk of blood‐borne infections being transfused into a blood product‐recipient. As blood screening technologies improve, the risk of an infected blood product remaining undetected decreases—and so too have the deferral periods for certain donors. Much has been made of the importance of an evidence‐based, scientific approach to protecting blood product‐recipients. However, these deferrals are controversial. What exactly determines the blood donation deferral period? This article argues that blood donation deferral periods are not merely the result of enacting empirical data. Instead, the deferral periods represent a negotiation between scientific evidence, experts, politically expedient narratives, institutionalised risk aversion, as well as more mundane concerns such as operational feasibility. As a case study, I examine how the UK Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs changed the 12‐month deferral period for blood donation from men who have sex with men to a 3‐month deferral period.

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Negotiating risk-group categorization and the co-production of blood safety: the evolution of sociotechnical imaginaries mobilized in the public debate on the deferral of men who have sex with men as blood donors in Belgium

Cited by 7 publications

References 62 publications

It’s in Me to Give: Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination

It’s in Me to Give: Canadian Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men’s Willingness to Donate Blood If Eligible Despite Feelings of Policy Discrimination

Stepping Stones or Second Class Donors?: a qualitative analysis of gay, bisexual, and queer men’s perspectives on plasma donation policy in Canada

Science in action? A critical view of UK blood donation deferral policy and men who have sex with men

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