Mar 12, 2008 8:19 pm US/Central
Bill Would Lower Blood Donation Age To 16 In Minn.
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
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The 16-year-old Blooming Prairie High School sophomore wants the state to lower its legal age for blood donors from 17 to 16. (File)
CBS
Joe Gibson was ready to bleed for people who needed his help. When he found out he was too young, he went to the Legislature to be given the right.
Joe, 16, thinks the state should lower its legal age for blood donors from 17 to 16. On Thursday, the Blooming Prairie High School sophomore plans to be at the Capitol when the House votes on a bill that would do just that.
"I'd like to, hopefully, set a precedent for other youth in Minnesota and everywhere else that you can make a difference," Joe said Wednesday.
He said he got the idea for changing the law a couple years ago after he walked out of the locker room after football practice. He came across a blood drive in the school commons and wanted to donate, but was turned away because he was just 15. That struck him as wrong, since he was a healthy, 160-pound athlete and bigger than some of the people who were being allowed to give blood.
Joe said he did some research, then sent a petition to his state representative, Patti Fritz, DFL-Faribault. He said he sort of expected Fritz to blow off his proposal, but he was impressed that she has been pushing the idea hard ever since and even traveled to Blooming Prairie to meet with him.
If the bill becomes law, Minnesota would join more than a dozen states that either already have laws allowing 16-year-olds to donate or are working to lower the minimum legal age. The change has become popular in recent years as hospitals face a growing demand for blood.
"I thought it was common sense -- the idea that young and healthy people ought to be able to give blood as much as others who may not be as healthy," said Sen. Kathy Sheran, DFL-Mankato, who is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill. The Senate unanimously approved the measure a week ago.
The bill would require 16-year-olds to have a parent's permission.
The legislation would not only help blood donation centers expand their donor base, but would also give young people a chance to contribute, said Laura Kaplan, a spokeswoman for Twin Cities-based Memorial Blood Centers.
"I think there's a lot of young people who really want to do something positive," Kaplan said.
The bill would also help blood drive efforts at schools, she added.
Joe had wanted lawmakers to make the minimum age 15 but Sheran said the American Red Cross had recommended 16, which is also in line with recent changes in other states.
The proposed law would prohibit 16-year-olds from being paid for donating, because lawmakers wanted to discourage them from donating only for the money, Sheran said.
Bob Gibson, Joe's father, said it wasn't surprising to see his son go after a law with which he disagreed.
"He never really accepts the status quo," Gibson said. "He's always been good at pushing it to see if something can be changed."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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