We're From The Government, And We're Here To Give You AIDS

President Reagan famously said, in a news conference on August 12, 1986, that "the nine most terrifying words in the English language" are "I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help."

The problem, Reagan said, is "the government's long history of conflicting and haphazard policies."

Just in time for Christmas, the Food and Drug Administration has lifted its lifetime ban on accepting blood donations from homosexual men. This is terrific news for all the selfless gift givers out there, who altruistically donate their viral loads. Up until now, the only way they could share their generosity was by participating in unprotected anal sex.

I would use a different word other than haphazard to describe this policy shift. Absurd is more like it.

Kelsey Louie, CEO for Gay Men's Health Crisis, said, "The United States government has to stop reacting to HIV like it is the early 1980s." Actually, American homosexuals should stop reacting to HIV like it is still the 1970s. Perhaps Louie has a vested interest in continuing high transmission rates: Gay Men's Health Crisis is the nation's largest provider of HIV and AIDS care.

"It is time for the FDA to implement a policy that is truly based on science, not blanket bans on certain groups of people," Louie said.

You want science? The highest transmission rate is through HIV tainted blood. According to the CDC, the transmission rate of tainted blood is 92.5%.

The transmission rate of receptive anal intercourse is 1.38 percent. The next highest transmission rate is from using an HIV-tainted needle, at 63 per 10,000, or 0.63 percent. Other forms of transmission, such as receptive vaginal sex, are in the neighborhood of one in a thousand.

Therefore, if you have unprotected sex with an infected person, you might get HIV, but if you receive a blood transfusion from an infected patient, you will get HIV. So, no big deal.

Or is it a big deal? Homosexual men account for less than two percent of the population, they account for two-thirds of new HIV cases.

And nearly thirteen percent of homosexual males aren't even aware that they have HIV.

I might feel more confident if FDA Acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, M.D. received a direct blood transfusion from Dan Savage.

Love Wins!