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

US Rep. LaMonica McIver Indicted on Federal Charges From Skirmish at New Jersey Immigration Center

Clovis Councilmember Basgall Says He Won’t Run for Re-Election

15 hours ago

An Unknowing Fresno County Gave Community Medical $2.7M While Hospital Engaged in Kickback Scheme

16 hours ago

Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill to Ban Teaching Antisemitism in Arizona’s Public Schools

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed a proposal that would ban teaching antisemitism at the state’s public K-12 schools, universiti...

13 hours ago

Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, center, applauds for those affected by the Los Angeles area wildfires as she gives the State of the State address in the House of Representatives at the state Capitol with Speaker of the House Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, left, and Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, flanking the governor on Jan. 13, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP File)
13 hours ago

Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill to Ban Teaching Antisemitism in Arizona’s Public Schools

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., demands the release of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka after his arrest while protesting outside an ICE detention prison, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J, (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)
13 hours ago

US Rep. LaMonica McIver Indicted on Federal Charges From Skirmish at New Jersey Immigration Center

President Donald Trump prepares to deliver remarks during a visit to Fort Bragg to mark the U.S. Army anniversary, in North Carolina, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
15 hours ago

US Military Bases to Restore Names Changed After Racial Justice Protests, Trump Says

15 hours ago

Clovis Councilmember Basgall Says He Won’t Run for Re-Election

16 hours ago

An Unknowing Fresno County Gave Community Medical $2.7M While Hospital Engaged in Kickback Scheme

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/ File Photo
18 hours ago

Wall Street Ends Higher as Investors Track Progress of US-China Trade Talks

A bridge crane damaged by Israeli air strikes is pictured in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 31, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah//File Photo
18 hours ago

Israel Strikes Hodeidah Port, Threatens Naval, Air Blockade

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for North Carolina at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
19 hours ago

Trump Warns Protests at Army Parade Will Be Met With Force

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

Search

Send this to a friend