Array
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday it had officially eliminated restrictions that had previously prohibited many blood donations by gay and bisexual men — a longstanding policy that critics say is discriminatory.
In a news release, the federal agency said it will recommend a series of « individual risk-based questions » that will be the same for every blood donor, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender or sex. Those who have had anal sex with a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner, within the last three months would be asked to wait to donate blood.
« 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 Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the release.
With the updated guidelines, most gay and bisexual men who are in a monogamous relationship with a man will no longer have to refrain from sex in order to donate blood.
Previously, FDA guidelines for donating blood — which were last updated in 2020 — stated that men who have sex with men are allowed to donate blood after a three-month deferral period in which they refrain from having sex with another man.
