Empty blood vials sit on a table at Vitalant blood donation center on January 11, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it finalized a recent rule that can allow more gay and bisexual men to donate blood.
Under the latest guidelines, all potential donors would wish to finish an individualized risk assessment — no matter gender or sexual orientation. Individuals who have had anal sex with a recent partner, or multiple partner, within the last three months could be asked to attend to donate blood.
The updated guidelines mean most gay and bisexual men who’re in a monogamous relationship with one other man will not have to abstain from sex to donate blood.
Previously, the FDA only allowed donations from men who’ve sex with men in the event that they hadn’t had sex with one other man for 3 months.
“The implementation of those recommendations will represent a big milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a release.
The agency will proceed to watch the protection of the blood supply, he added.
The FDA’s restrictions on blood donations from men who’ve sex with men stem from the AIDS crisis, which began within the early Eighties, when little was known about HIV.
The agency first proposed the brand new rules, that are according to those in Canada and the UK, in January.
People who find themselves taking medication to stop or treat an HIV infection would be asked to attend to donate blood under the brand new guidelines.
