The decision not to donate blood
We also interviewed 11 participants who did not donate blood. First, 5 nondonors
said they could not donate because they had been deferred from
donating for health reasons. The other 6 non-donors mentioned several
reasons for their unwillingness to donate blood that echoed concerns reported
in previous surveys about blood donation (for example, see Ipsos-Reid, 2001).
Two non-donors said they did not donate for cultural or religious reasons.
Three non-donors specifically cited fear of needles and discomfort at the sight
of blood as reasons for not donating. The following comment is typical in this
regard: “I don’t want to. Just plain and simple don’t want to.… [I]f they could
drain it out some other way I probably would, but no, no, I hate needles.” One
non-donor mentioned having previously donated but no longer doing so
because of the donor screening process, singling out its length and the kinds
of questions asked by staff. These questions single out risk factors for blood
contamination such as drug use or sexual practices deemed risky. This nondonor
characterized the screening process as invasive and embarrassing. The
following comment from a nurse makes clear some non-donors’ discomfort
with aspects of the screening process