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66-year-old male blood donor turned away from clinic after he refused to answer whether he was pregnant

A 66-year-old male blood donor from Scotland was turned away from a clinic after he refused to answer whether he was pregnant.

TN Viral Desk

Updated Jun 18, 2022, 15:27 IST

Photo : iStock

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Sinclair was asked to fill in a form which had a question about whether he was expecting a child or had been pregnant in the last six months
He complained that as a man in his 60s, the question did not apply and he should not have to answer it
Sinclair said that the staff at the clinic told him they could not accept his blood

Leslie Sinclair, 66, has donated 125 pints of his blood over nearly 50 years. However, on his last trip to donate blood, he was turned away as he refused to answer whether or not he was pregnant.

Sinclair, from Scotland, was asked to fill in a form which had a question about whether he was expecting a child or had been pregnant in the last six months.

When he complained that as a man in his 60s, the question did not apply and he should not have to answer it, Sinclair said that the staff at the clinic told him they could not accept his blood.

Sinclair, who has been donating his blood since he was 18, was quoted as saying by Daily Mail, "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."

He continued, "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."

Sinclair added, "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."

Meanwhile, Professor Marc Turner, director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), said that all potential donors are asked if they are pregnant to "promote inclusiveness".

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 cognisance 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," the director added.

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