Male blood donor turned away after refusing to say if he’s pregnant

A male blood donor was turned away from a donor center after he refused to say whether he was pregnant or not.

Leslie Sinclair, 66, has donated an incredible 125 liters of blood over the course of nearly half a century.

However, on his most recent trip to the Albert Halls clinic in Stirling, central Scotland, he was barred from doing so when staff insisted he answer any question about the paperwork.

They said the policy “promotes inclusion” and argued it’s not always clear if someone is pregnant.

Pregnant women or those with a child under the age of six months are not allowed to donate blood.

Mr Sinclair, a retired engineering company driver and father of two, said he has been donating since he was 18 and has never had a problem.

Speaking to MailOnline, he continued: “There’s always a form to fill in and that’s fine – they usually ask about a medical condition or illness – and that’s clearly because the blood has to be safe.

“This time 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.

“It makes no sense and makes me angry because vulnerable people, including children, are waiting for blood and need urgent help. But they were denied my blood because they were bound to answer a question that cannot possibly be answered.’

Professor Marc Turner, Director of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, said: “We appreciate the support of everyone in our donor community and thank Mr Sinclair for his dedication over many years.

“While pregnancy is only a relevant issue for those whose biological sex or gender assigned at birth is female, gender assigned at birth is not always visually clear to staff.

“As a public body, we recognize the changes in society in how such questions can be asked without discrimination and have a duty to promote inclusion – that is why all donors are now being asked the same questions.”

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