For a better experience, click the Compatibility Mode icon above to turn off Compatibility Mode, which is only for viewing older websites.

Blog Post by 3L Erica Cohen on Blood Donations Garners Notice from CBS-3

April 05, 2013

3L Erica Cohen argued in The Field Clinic blog published by the Philadelphia Inquirer that an FDA ban on blood donations by gay men should be abolished.

Since gay men do not represent the only demographic group at risk of contracting the HIV virus, Cohen wrote in an April 4 post, barring them from being donors serves no clear purpose and contributes to a significant nationwide blood shortage.

The post attracted dozens of comments and the attention of CBS-3, which published an interview with Cohen online.

Calling some of the responses "disgraceful," Cohen said her goal was to spur discussion about an important, if controversial, topic.

“If you really want to make the blood supply as safe as possible, then eliminate everyone that’s high risk,” she said in the interview.

Cohen contributes regularly to The Field Clinic, which was created by and named for Professor Robert Field and which the Inquirer debuted in 2012.