NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Blood donations are considered the gift of life, but one Tennessee lawmaker wants to give those who need a transfusion more of a choice in the gift they get.
Republican Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) filed a bill that would require blood donors to disclose whether they received the COVID-19 vaccine so people who need a blood transfusion can choose between blood from vaccinated and unvaccinated donors in non-emergency situations.
He told News 2 that he got the idea from several of his constituents who were concerned about taking the COVID-19 vaccine and didn’t want to receive blood from someone who had been vaccinated against the virus, despite zero scientific evidence saying it causes any negative outcomes.
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“I certainly understand people that are concerned,” Sen. Hensley, who is also a physician, said. “There were people who received blood in the past that contracted HIV, and I’m certainly not even comparing this to HIV, but it’s an issue that we don’t know about.”
“Some people just want to be safe and not have to deal with an issue if sometime in the future we see that it has been a problem,” he continued.
The goal is to give people more of a choice after some went to great lengths to avoid the shot.
However, only the antibodies a person produces in response to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, not the vaccine itself, may be present in the bloodstream, according to experts.
In addition, Dr. Jennifer Andrews, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the blood bank medical director at Vanderbilt said there is zero scientific evidence of any negative impacts from receiving blood from a donor who has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
She argues this bill could lead people to believe otherwise, hurting the already low blood supply.
“I’m actually very worried if this decreases society’s trust in our blood supply, it might be reflected by people not trusting the blood donation process and not donating blood, and that could have a direct effect on our patients here at Vanderbilt,” Dr. Andrews said.
Dr. Andrews told News 2 she has had patients in the past who were skeptical of receiving blood from a donor who was vaccinated against COVID-19, but she successfully assured them the blood supply is safe and heavily regulated by the FDA. It’s also critical in saving lives.
“People who might be affected, they don’t even know it yet, by a car accident this afternoon. They might be Life Flighted here to our center, and it’s the blood here on our shelf today that might save their life,” Dr. Andrews said.
“I do not want to harm blood donations, and I still encourage everyone to donate blood whenever they can because it’s a very vital thing to have,” Sen. Hensley said. “This is just adding to people’s choice, and they can make the decision on their own.”
Similar bills have failed in states like Wyoming, Montana, Connecticut, and South Dakota, but Sen. Hensley believes most of the public would support giving a choice to those who want it.
“Most people won’t be concerned about the blood and they’ll just take what’s available, and in emergency situations, people will have to take what’s available,” he said. “I think people in general support it. I think people do agree with having a choice, but I don’t know, in the legislature, you have to get a majority of votes to pass anything, so I have to convince people that it’s a worthwhile thing to do.”
A state representative will file the companion bill in the House Thursday, according to Sen. Hensley.
