A step forward on descriminatory blood donation by gay men overnight when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally ended a 32-year-old lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men.
Under the new policy, which was a year in the making, men who have gone a year without having sexual contact with other men are now eligible to donate. Which is now inline with most European countrie and both Australia and New Zealand.
The ban, put in place during the AIDS crisis has been roundly criticised by Medical groups and gay activists who have said the ban could no longer be justified, based on modern testing methods.
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that the change is “backed by sound science and continues to protect our blood supply.”
Officials are replacing the blanket ban with a policy barring donations from men who have had sex with another man in the previous year.
While the policy has been criticized by activists, the FDA stance is in line that of other countries.
For many LGBT rights advocates and liberal legislators, that change doesn’t go far enough to end discrimination, BuzzFeed News reports.
“The revised policy is still discriminatory,” the National Gay Blood Drive wrote in a statement.
“While many gay and bisexual men will be eligible to donate their blood and help save lives under this 12-month deferral, countless more will continue to be banned solely on the basis of their sexual orientation and without medical or scientific reasoning.”
Last Updated on Dec 23, 2015
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