Leslie Sinclair was left upset and fuming with anger when he was told he cannot donate blood after he refused to respond to the question if he is pregnant or not. The man lashed out at the question and said that he has been donating blood for the past five decades and this bizarre question definitely does not apply to a man in his late 60s.
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Leslie Sinclair, a 66-year-old father of two, was turned away from a blood donation center after he refused to share whether he was pregnant.
The 66-year-old had donated some 125 pints (71 lliter) of blood over five decades but now he was stopped from this kind effort during a trip last Wednesday amid a push for new donors, Daily Mail reported.
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Sinclair, of Stirling in central Scotland, was asked to fill a form that asked him if he was with child or had been pregnant in the last 6 months which made him lash out with a response that this type of question does not apply to a man in his late 60s.
via Robert Perry/Daily Mail
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The visibly upset man told Daily Mail:
I am angry because I have been giving blood since I was 18 and have regularly gone along. I’m very happy to do so without any problem.
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.
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He added:
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.
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.
Sinclair said his wife Margaret, 59, was equally horrified, adding: "She just can't understand it either."
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Professor Marc Turner, director of Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), told Daily Mail:
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.
via Robert Perry/Daily Mail
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Adding to it he said:
As a public body we take cognizance 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.
via Robert Perry/Daily Mail