FDA: Blood Donors Will No Longer Be Excluded by Sexual Orientation
thegavoice.comAfter a decades-long ban and required abstinence, men who have sex with men will be able to donate blood just like everyone else.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Thursday that blood donors would no longer be assessed by their sexual orientation, but rather by individual questions to determine risk factors and possible exposure to HIV/AIDS. “These questions will be the same for every donor, regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender,” the FDA said. “Blood establishments may now implement these recommendations by revising their donor history questionnaires and procedures.” The move began in January, when the FDA first proposed doing away with targeting men who have sex with men and instead asking all donors about new or multiple sex partners in the last three months and their history of anal sex in the last three months.
Prospective donors who are on PrEP would also be exempt from donating blood, as “the available data demonstrate that their use may delay detection of HIV.” “The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,” said Dr.
Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. As a result of the AIDS crisis, the FDA put a lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men from donating blood in 1983.
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