FDA To Remove Restriction On Blood Donations From Gay, Bisexual Men

The Food and Drug AdministrationFDAFriday’s announcement by ) that it would remove a restriction Gay and bisexual men Donating blood is a way to help a section of the population who are at higher risk for HIV.

The FDA has released draft guidelines that would remove the requirement that gay and bisexual men refrain from any sexual activity for three consecutive months prior to donating blood. reported. The proposed rule change would mark a major shift from a policy established in the 1980s during the AIDS crisis.

Instead of requiring three months of abstinence for men who have sex with men, the FDA will make all potential donors fill out a personalized questionnaire that evaluates each person’s risks for HIV before they can donate blood.

“We will continue to work to make sure we have policies that allow everyone who wants to donate blood to be able to donate blood, within what the science allows to keep the blood supply safe,” the FDA’s Peter Marks, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The United States banned gay men from donating their blood during the 1980s AIDS epidemic. This was to keep HIV, a sexually transmitted virus, from spreading. lead AIDS if the disease is not treated. Nearly 70% of all HIV-related diagnoses in the U.S. are made up by gay and bisexual males, according to 2019. Data From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The FDA’s newly drafted guidance comes after medical associations have said that technological advancements in testing have made the extra requirements for gay and bisexual men unnecessary. It also follows ongoing calls from LGBTQ advocates for change.

FDA Elevated In 2015, there was a complete ban on gay men giving blood. This meant that they had to abstain from all same-sex interactions for a year before they could donate. In response to a national blood shortage, the FDA reduced the abstinence period for gay men donating blood to three months. The results Journal reported that the Journal was reporting on the COVID pandemic complications.

Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, told the Journal that the newest change in the FDA’s guidelines “marks a monumental shift and ends a long and painful era of blanket discrimination against gay men.”

The FDA’s updated guidelines will continue to bar those who have tested positive for HIV and those who are taking HIV medication from donating blood, and blood donation centers must test all blood for HIV and other diseases.