Editor: The fact that women can give life by giving birth, and the medical community can save lives through various kinds of operations, are considered gifts of life but I鈥檓 looking at the gift of life from another angle.

When was the last time you donated blood? Blood is most definitely a gift of life. Hospitals, doctors, and other medical practices would be lost without it.

More than one million people each year are diagnosed with cancer, and most will need a blood transfusion. About one in seven people entering hospitals are needing that precious ingredient.

It is important that every ethnic group participate  in , and one does not need to be afraid. It鈥檚 safe, after all you get treats afterwards, and anyone over the age of 16 can do it.

Did you know that around 3.6 per cent of Canadians donate blood each year and around 43,000 pints of blood are collected in the U.S. and Canada?

According to Statistics Canada, in 2005-06, 232,800 adults were incarcerated in Canada.

I understand that there would be a degree of tainted blood because of in-house habits, but there are many prisoners who are clean and healthy. For whatever reason, these people are denied probably one of the most important and gratifying gifts anyone could give.

The gift of life is what we call blood. By giving it, you give life. It is our privilege to give (those of us on the outside), why not open it up to those on the inside?

Consider writing our MPs to consider a change in policy, to allow healthy prisoners to donate blood.

Ken Hinton,

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