More than half of people in India would refuse life-saving organ donation from LGBTQ person
Around 54 per cent of respondents said LGBTQ people shouldn't be able to donate organs
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
More than half of people in India would refuse a life-saving organ donation from an LGBTQ person.
Last year, India made history as it decriminalised homosexuality in a groundbreaking move but attitudes towards the community is still mixed and a new survey has revealed some shocking statistics.
Produced by the Mumbai-based Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, the new survey asked 1,565 respondents across 12 cities in India about their feelings towards organ donations.
The survey found one in five people believe if they donated an organ they would be reborn without it.
But shockingly, around 54 per cent of respondents said they don’t think LGBTQ people should be able to donate organs and around 56 per cent admitted to not wanting an organ from someone in the community.
The survey states: “The LGBTQ community has had a mixed past with the Indian medical community.
“While Supreme Court decriminalised Section 377 last year, the LGBTQ community continues to be ostracised.
“In September last year, following Supreme Court’s landmark verdict, the Maharashtra chapter of National Blood Transfusion Council sparked a debate when it issued a new screening questionnaire that seemingly looked at weeding out the LGBTQ community from donating blood.
“In 2017 the Blood Safety Division of National Aids Control Organisation said that LGBTQ community cannot donate blood because they are a ‘high risk’ group.
“This certainly raises questions about them being able to donate their organs.”