Skip to main content

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
Cancel
×
×
Home
  • Home
Article

HIV and the Blood Supply: Assessing MANTRA Legislation

  • Carolyn R. Thompson (a1)
Abstract

Despite a dramatic decline in transfusion-associated AIDS, increased safety of the national blood supply, and voluntary efforts to find alternatives to homologous blood sources, Americans remain fearful about the possibility of acquiring AIDS through a blood transfusion. Numerous states have initiated legislative efforts that would require explicit warnings about blood safety and that would direct patients to alternative sources of blood. These proposed laws—known as MANTRA bills, for “mandatory notification of transfusion alternatives”—would require physicians to advise patients of blood transfusion options prior to any surgery. Many would mandate the development of new informed consent documents and involve health departments in the implementation of new regulations regarding transfusions. This article concludes that MANTRA legislation is primarily a symbolic attempt to reassure the public about AIDS. It mandates practices that are being adopted voluntarily; it will not make the blood supply safer; it will increase the cost of health care to individuals and in the aggregate; it may diminish the number of donors to the voluntary blood supply system; and it is likely to intensify public fear about the risk of a blood transfusion.

Copyright
COPYRIGHT: © Association for Politics and the Life Sciences 
References
Hide All
California Assembly Bill 787, Amendment to the Health and Safety Code, February 1991.
Georgia House Bill 1576, Amendment to Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia, September 1992.
Illinois Assembly Bill 4164, Blood Safety Act, April 1992.
Indiana Senate Bill 451, Blood Transfusions and Donations, April 1993.
Maryland Senate Bill 427, Blood Safety Act, March 1993.
Senate Bill 64, Blood Safety Act, February 1994.
Massachusetts House Bill 2643, An Act Requiring Surgeons to Inform Patients of Blood Transfusion Options, May 1991.
Michigan House Bill 5144, Amendment to Public Health Code, September 1991.
New Jersey Senate Bill 3053, Blood Safety Act, June 1991.
New York Assembly Bill 7711, Blood Safety Act, April 1993.
Senate Bill 5284, Blood Safety Act, May 1993.
Pennsylvania House Bill 1944, Blood Safety Act, June 1993.
Berry, K.M.(1991). “A Multi Million Dollar Business in a NonProfit World.” New York Times (January 7):F8–F9.
Busch, M.P. et al.(1995). “Time Course of Detection of Viral and Serologic Markers Preceding Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Seroconversion: Implications for Screening of Blood and Tissue Donors.” Transfusion 35:91–97.
“California Law Requires Informed Consent on Risk of Transfusion” (1990). Hospital Infection Control 17(3):34–36.
Campbell, S., ed. (1986). “AABB Issues Recommendations on Informed Consent.” AABB Newsbriefs (July):1–3.
Colebunders, R. et al.(1991). “Seroconversion Rate, Mortality, and Clinical Manifestations Associated with the Receipt of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Blood Transfusion in Kinshasa, Zaire.” Journal of Infectious Diseases 164:450–56.
Crenshaw, T.L.(1989). “Transfusions: It's a Bloody Shame.” The Humanist 43(3):16–20.
Donegan, E. et al.(1990). “Infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) among Recipients of Antibody Positive Donations.” Annals of Internal Medicine 113:733–39.
Douglas, M. and Wildavsky, A.(1982). Risk and Culture. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Edelman, M.(1964). The Symbolic Uses of Politics. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Etchason, J. et al.(1995). “The Cost Effectiveness of Preoperative Autologous Blood Donations.” New England Journal of Medicine 332:719–24.
Goodnough, L.T. and Shuck, J.(1990). “Risks Options and Informed Consent for Blood Transfusion in Elective Surgery.” American Journal of Surgery 159:602–9.
Herman, R.(1992). “Do It Yourself Blood Transfusions.” Washington Post (September 8):WH10-14.
Holland, P.V.(1991). “Informed Consent for Transfusions.” Letter to the Editor. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 102:934.
Jacobson, L.(1993). “Fear Fuels Demand for Recycled and Synthetic Blood.” Wall Street Journal (September 15):B4.
Kolins, J. and Kolins, M.(1990). “Informed Consent, Risk and Blood Transfusion.” Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 100:88–91.
Leparc, G.F.(1991). “Informed Consent for Blood Transfusion.” Journal of the Florida Medical Association 78:423–25.
Peterman, T.A., Lui, K.J., Lawrence, D.N., and Aleen, J.R.(1987). “Estimating the Risks of Transfusion-Associated Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.” Transfusion 27:371–74.
Petersen, L.R.(1994). Chief of HIV Seroepidemiology Branch, Division of HIV-AIDS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Personal communication, October 12.
Petersen, L.R., Satten, G.A., Dodd, R., Busch, M., Kleinman, S., Grindon, A., B. Lenes, and the HIV Seroconversion Study Group (1994). “Duration of Time from Onset of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infectiousness to Development of Detectable Antibody.” Transfusion 34:283–89.
Petersen, L.R., Simonds, R.J., and Koistinen, J.(1993). “HIV Transmission through Blood, Tissues and Organs.” AIDS 7(1):S99–S107.
Pindyck, J.(1988). “Editorial Review: Transfusion-Associated HIV Infection: Epidemiology, Prevention and Public Policy.” AIDS 2:239–48.
Rosen, N.R.(1989). “Current Transfusion Issues.” Indiana Medicine 82:764–66.
Schoub, B.D.(1994). AIDS and HIV in Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Selik, R.M., Ward, J.W., and Buehler, J.W.(1993). “Trends in Transfusion-Associated Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in the United States, 1982 through 1991.” Transfusion 33:890–93.
Shepherd, L.(1992). “The Risk of Transfusion-Associated AIDS: Offering Patients an Active Role in Their Care.” American Journal of Medical Quality 7(4):111–15.
Short, J.F.(1992). “Defining, Explaining and Managing Risk.” In Short, J.F. and Clarke, L.(eds.), Organizations, Uncertainties and Risk. Boulder, CO: Westview.
Slovic, P.(1987). “Perception of Risk.” Science 236:280–85.
“Survey Shows Changes in Public Attitudes about America's Blood Supply and AIDS” (1993). AABB News, May 19.
Thomas, A.T. and Perry, M.C.(1989). “Autologous Blood Transfusions.” Missouri Medicine 86(3):157–61.
Umlas, J.(1991). Personal Correspondence to Representative Carmen D. Buell, Chairman Joint Committee on Health Care, Massachusetts House of Representatives.
Viele, M.V. and Donegan, E.A.(1992). “Rational Use of Blood and Blood Components.” Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America 25:1322–39.
Voelker, R.(1995). “Anesthesia-Related Risks Have Plummeted.” Journal of the American Medical Association 273:445–46.
Widmann, F.K.(1990). “Informed Consent for Blood Transfusion: Brief Historical Survey and Summary of a Conference.” Transfusion 30:460–70.
Recommend this journal

Email your librarian or administrator to recommend adding this journal to your organisation's collection.

Politics and the Life Sciences
  • ISSN: 0730-9384
  • EISSN: 1471-5457
  • URL: /core/journals/politics-and-the-life-sciences
Please enter your name
Please enter a valid email address
Who would you like to send this to? *

CAPTCHA *

Skip to the audio challenge
×

Metrics

Abstract views

Total abstract views: 34 *
Loading metrics...

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between September 2016 - 12th June 2018. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

Cancel
Confirm
×