Key takeaways:
- The current guidelines require gay and bisexual men to abstain from sex for three months before donating blood.
- The proposed guidelines would do away with the three-month abstinence requirement.
- The proposal has been welcomed by gay rights groups and has the potential to boost the U.S. blood supply.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed new guidelines that would ease restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men and other groups that traditionally face higher risks of HIV.
The current guidelines, which have been in place since the 1980s, require gay and bisexual men to abstain from sex for three months before donating blood. This policy was put in place due to the AIDS crisis, when gay men were reported to have higher rates of HIV infections.
The proposed guidelines would do away with the three-month abstinence requirement, allowing gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to donate blood without the condition that they abstain from sex.
The proposal has been welcomed by gay rights groups, who have long opposed blanket restrictions on who can give blood, saying they discriminate against the LGBTQ community. If finalized, the shift would be the latest FDA move to broaden donor eligibility, with the potential to boost the U.S. blood supply.
The FDA is now seeking public comment on the proposed guidelines. The agency will consider the comments before deciding whether to finalize the new rules.
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