The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to decrease restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood, according to a new report.
The new rules were first noted in an article by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
Report: FDA Plans to Lift More Restrictions on Gay, Bisexual Men Donating Blood https://t.co/4C5sBjPWnL
— karen bartlett (@karenba49520009) December 1, 2022
"Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships would be allowed to donate blood without abstaining from sex under guidelines being drafted by the Food and Drug Administration, people familiar with the plans said," the Journal said.
"The change would be a departure from U.S. policy that for many years barred men who have sex with men from donating blood. The FDA policy originated in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic, when tests for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, weren’t considered sensitive enough to protect the blood supply," it added.
Breaking: Men in monogamous same-sex relationships would be allowed to donate blood without abstaining from sex under new FDA rules, people familiar with the plans say https://t.co/MRphaOFVNY
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 30, 2022
"The potential new rules follow a study of around 1,600 gay and bisexual men that sought whether a risk assessment questionnaire was more effective than a set waiting period for keeping the blood supply uncontaminated," Breitbart News reported.
"The study was conducted by three of the largest U.S. nonprofit blood centers: Vitalant, OneBlood, and the American Red Cross," it added.
FDA drafts new guidelines that will allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood without abstaining from sex https://t.co/B2Qwin5hRA
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) December 1, 2022
"Participants in the study were asked questions that included whether they had more than one sex partner during specific periods of time, and whether they used condoms," Newsmax reported.
"We have a strong data set," Dr. Brian Custer, director of Vitalant Research Institute and principal investigator of the study, told WSJ. "We have highly relevant information to envision what an individual risk-based approach would look like."
The change is one of many under the Biden administration related to LGBTQ issues.
The administration has also highlighted the issue through hires in the White House and federal agencies.
Democrats also pushed this week the Respect for Marriage Act that codifies same-sex marriage rights in the nation. The act passed in the Senate with the help of 12 Republicans.
The latest change is one of many under the Biden administration that remains controversial to many Americans.
