Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
New Blood Donation Rules Allow More Gay Men to Give in US
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
May 11, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can donate blood in the U.S. without abstaining from sex, under a federal policy finalized Thursday by health regulators.

The Food and Drug Administration guidelines ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. The agency announced plans for the change in January and said this week the new approach can now be implemented by blood banks.

New Screening Questionnaire Replaces Abstinence Requirement

The updated guidelines do away with a requirement that men who have sex with men abstain from sex for three months prior to giving blood.

Instead, all potential donors — regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender — will be screened with a new questionnaire that evaluates their individual risks for HIV based on sexual behavior, recent partners and other factors. Potential donors who report having anal sex with new partners in the last three months will be barred from giving until a later date.

The FDA said the new policy reflects the latest scientific evidence and is in line with rules in the U.K. and Canada.

The Latest Move to Broaden Donor Eligibility

It’s the latest move by the FDA to broaden donor eligibility, with the potential to boost donations.

“The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s center for biological therapies, said in a statement.

Gay rights groups have long opposed blanket restrictions on who can give blood, saying they discriminate. Medical societies including the American Medical Association have also said such exclusions are unnecessary given advances in blood testing.

Anyone who has ever tested positive for HIV will continue to be ineligible to donate blood. Those taking pills to prevent HIV through sexual contact will also still be barred, until three months after their last dose. The FDA noted that the medications, known as PrEP, can delay the detection of the virus in screening tests.

The FDA sets requirements and procedures for U.S. blood banks. All potential donors answer questions about their sexual history, injectable drug use and any recent tattoos or piercings, among other factors that can contribute to the spread of blood-borne infections. Donated blood is then tested for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis and other infectious diseases.

In 2015, the FDA dropped the lifetime ban on donations from men who have sex with men and replaced it with a one-year abstinence requirement. Then in 2020, the agency shortened the abstinence period to three months, after donations plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regulators said there has been no negative impact on the blood supply as a result of those changes.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Caitlin Clark Will Miss at Least Two Weeks With Quad Strain

Trump Threatens Action as Clovis Prepares for CIF State Track Championships

2 hours ago

Giants Are No Match for the Tigers’ Montero and Greene

2 hours ago

Eight More Drowning Deaths Added to Kern River Warning Signs

Early bird Memorial Day weekend traffic barely slowed as it passed the small group of media and Kern County Sheriff’s Office personnel gathe...

36 minutes ago

Lower Kern River
36 minutes ago

Eight More Drowning Deaths Added to Kern River Warning Signs

Caitlin Clark Against the NY Liberty
2 hours ago

Caitlin Clark Will Miss at Least Two Weeks With Quad Strain

David Sanchez Montes is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for May 27, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: David Sanchez Montes

2 hours ago

Trump Threatens Action as Clovis Prepares for CIF State Track Championships

2 hours ago

Giants Are No Match for the Tigers’ Montero and Greene

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest 20 for DUI During Enforcement Operation

Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheal Martin delivers remarks during his visit at U.S. Vice President JD Vance's residence for breakfast, ahead of St. Patrick's Day, in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 12, 2025. (REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo)
3 hours ago

Ireland to Press Ahead With Trade Ban on Israeli-Occupied Areas

Ohtani Leadoff Home Run
3 hours ago

Ohtani’s Great May Continues as He Hits Leadoff HR in 2nd Straight Game

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend