Bloody Hell


I was making my blood donor appointment (I really like doing this, it makes me feel like a better person haha) and chanced on these stats *which are from the US*. The implication seems to me that a huge # of people doing it once and then never go back.

Things are of course very different in USA in that there, it is legal and normal to pay donors (or, perhaps I should say, vendors/suppliers) for their blood. 

In Canada, it is also legal to pay for blood - but it's not legal to pay the donor. That is to say, a significant % of our blood supply is purchased from the USA. So we do pay donors, but only indirectly, and they are by definition not Canadian.

This seems to me like a fairly clear case of something that, despite the obvious risks (that could, presumably, be managed), and despite seeming a bit disagreeable, should 100% be completely legal here.

Donating blood has made me almost indifferent to needles, which is a good thing. Canadian Blood Services is supremely well run, in my opinion; clearly, they know it's a volunteer act, and they seem to do everything to make it as pleasant as possible.

---

I was curious and, yup, sperm donation in Canada is also legal, but it is also not legal to pay for it. I am pretty sure a few of my Spanish friends would pay good money for recreational sperm, hahaha.

In Spain, it IS legal to pay (I know this because a friend of mine in Madrid who was in dire financial straits was telling me about it using it as a source of recurring revenue).

Interestingly, I was googling around and lots of information on the sperm acquisition and use process, but at a glance, none on donating. The implication seems to be that it is something done on request of a specific person, not something one does similar to donating blood. Sounds more fun, though.

I SWEAR I WAS JUST CURIOUS!

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