Goudsmit's role contrasts those of Coutinho and Osterhaus. He was not heavily involved in the development of health policy frameworks or legislation, as his sphere of activity was more limited to public debates. These debates included the debate on gay blood donors and on the origins of AIDS. When invited to reflect on the 1980s during interviews, he did not recount specific moments, but rather gave a general impression of his contacts with the media. What dominated was the sense of losing control over his utterances in the media, and this had a lasting influence on Goudsmit's attitude towards the media (Goudsmit 2 April 2008) .