The changes will apply to gay and bisexual men.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to do away with some of its restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood.
- Implementation of the new rules is expected within the next few months, at which time even those who have not abstained from sex for 90 days will be allowed to donate as long as they claim to be in a monogamous relationship.
- Over the past seven years, the FDA has gradually loosened the limitations on blood donation for homosexual and bisexual men.
- The current 90-day standard was put into place during the COVID-19 pandemic when blood supplies were depleted.
NEW SCREENING PROCESS:
- Before being permitted to give blood, prospective homosexual and bisexual male donors would still need to complete a risk assessment form. The new questionnaire and recommendations are still being developed by the FDA.
- It is likely that prospective donors may be questioned about their sexual history within the last 90 days. If they haven’t had any new sexual partners over those three months, they’ll probably be allowed to donate.
- A prospective donor would likely be prohibited from giving until they had not engaged in anal intercourse with a new partner for the preceding 90 days due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s position that such behavior is the riskiest kind of sex for contracting or transferring HIV.
BACKGROUND:
- The FDA’s proposed change comes on the heels of news that Russia’s senate approved a ban on LGBTQ “propaganda” to both adults and children, as American Faith previously reported.
- The ban, which is an extension of a 2013 law, which in turn banned the spread of LGBTQ materials among those under 18, applies to all forms of media, internet, and literature.
- “We must do everything to protect our children and those who want to live a normal life. Everything else is sin, sodomy, darkness, and our country is fighting this,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma.
