FDA Finalizes New Rule to Make it Easier for Gay and Bisexual Men to Donate Blood

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Thursday that it has finalized a new rule that will make it easier for gay and bisexual men to donate blood. Previously, the FDA only allowed donations from men who have sex with men if they hadn’t had sex with another man for three months, a restriction that has been opposed by gay rights groups and medical societies including the American Medical Association.

The new rule will use a set of “individual, risk-based questions to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV” to determine blood donor eligibility. This means that most gay and bisexual men who are in a monogamous relationship with another man will no longer need to abstain from sex to donate blood. However, people who have had anal sex with a new partner, or more than one partner, in the last three months would be asked to wait to donate blood.

The FDA said in a news release that the updated guidelines are the result of a “rigorous scientific process” that included input from stakeholders, including the American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers, and AABB.

“The FDA has worked diligently to evaluate our policies related to blood donor deferral periods to ensure that we have the latest scientific information on which to base our decisions,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “We believe these revised donor deferral recommendations, based on the best available scientific evidence, will better protect our blood supply while also giving more individuals the opportunity to donate.”

The new rule is expected to take effect in the coming months. It is hoped that the new guidelines will help to ensure a safe and sufficient blood supply while also allowing more people to donate.