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FDA proposal would allow homosexual men in monogamous relationships to donate blood

A nurse fills test tubes with blood to be tested all the method in which via an American Crimson Trek bloodmobile in Fullerton, CA on Thursday, January 20, 2022.

Paul Bersebach | Medianews Neighborhood | Getty Photos

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed contemporary guidelines that will per chance perhaps now no longer require homosexual and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to abstain from sex sooner than donating blood.

The FDA had imposed a lifetime ban on men who recognize sex with men donating blood all the method in which via the AIDS disaster within the 1980s. The company had eased the ban in 2015, permitting homosexual and bisexual men to donate blood within the event that that they had no longer had sex within the old year.

Essentially essentially based on a blood donor shortage all the method in which via the Covid pandemic, the FDA extra eased restrictions in April 2020 to allow homosexual and bisexual men who had no longer had sex within the past three months to donate.

Beneath the guidelines proposed on Friday, homosexual and bisexual men who’re in monogamous relationships might per chance perhaps be allowed to donate blood. But people, in spite of gender or sexual orientation, who recognize only within the near past had anal sex with a brand contemporary or more than one partners would need to wait on three months sooner than donating.

“Declaring a stable and ample present of blood and blood merchandise within the U.S. is paramount for the FDA, and this proposal for an particular person risk overview, in spite of gender or sexual orientation, will enable us to proceed using the top doubtless science to function so,” talked about FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf on Friday. The Washington Post reported the news earlier.

The American Clinical Association had criticized the FDA’s restrictions on homosexual men donating as discriminatory.

“At area is the need to take into consideration all doubtless blood donors on an equal basis based utterly utterly on their particular person risk elements and without regard to their sexual orientation or gender id,” talked about Dr. Gerald Harmon with the AMA in January of 2022.

The Human Rights Advertising and marketing campaign, the nation’s top doubtless organization that advocates for LGBTQ rights, talked about the FDA proposal is a step within the correct direction, but more needs to be performed to to fetch restrictions.

“We bustle the Biden administration to prioritize removing ideal boundaries and quiz the FDA to transfer like a flash while guaranteeing the security of the blood present and a blood donation policy in-line with the science,” talked about HRC President Kelley Robinson in a statement.

Of us who’re taking oral medicines to forestall HIV infection would no longer be allowed to donate blood for the three months following their most up-to-date dose. These taking injections to forestall HIV would no longer be allowed to donate blood for 2 years following their most up-to-date injection.

These medicines, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, can consequence in fraudulent negatives on HIV assessments, based utterly utterly on the FDA.

Beneath the proposed FDA policy, anybody who has tested optimistic for HIV or taken pills to treat an HIV infection might per chance perhaps be banned from donating blood. Of us who recognize engaged in sex work or primitive illicit intravenous pills only within the near past would need to wait on three months to donate.

Blood banks would quiet be required to test all donations for HIV as properly hepatitis C and B, based utterly utterly on FDA.

Dr. Peter Marks, a senior FDA respectable, talked about the company is evaluating the science to amplify the sequence of of us that are eligible to donate blood while asserting safeguards that make optimistic that the provision is protected for recipients.

“We can proceed to recognize a look on the top doubtless on hand scientific evidence to retain an ample present of blood and decrease the risk of transmitting infectious ailments and are committed to finalizing this draft steering as quickly as that it’s doubtless you’ll per chance perhaps per chance also mediate of,” Marks talked about on Friday.  

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