American Red Cross Expands Blood Donation Eligibility for Gay and Bisexual Men, Aligned with FDA Guidelines
The American Red Cross has announced that more gay and bisexual men will now be able to donate blood, following recent guidelines issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In May, the FDA released guidelines stating that all potential blood donors must answer a series of individual, risk-based questions to determine their eligibility.
Under the new guidelines, men who are in monogamous sexual relationships with other men will be permitted to donate blood. Additionally, individuals of any gender or sexual orientation who have had multiple sexual partners and engaged in anal sex within the last three months will be asked to wait three months before donating blood.
The Red Cross expressed its commitment to an inclusive blood donation process that treats all potential donors equally and respectfully while ensuring a safe and sufficient blood supply for patients in need. This change in approach to donor eligibility is being hailed as significant progress, resulting in a more inclusive blood donation process than ever before.
The FDA initially banned donations from gay and bisexual men during the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Although the FDA has relaxed these rules in recent years, they had not been completely lifted until now. The new blood donation risk assessment will be the same for all donors, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Medical groups and LGBTQ organizations have previously criticized the FDA’s previous rule from 2015, which relaxed the complete ban on donations from gay and bisexual men but required men to abstain from sex for at least one year before donating. This policy was revised in April 2020, reducing the abstinence period to three months, as the FDA witnessed a significant decline in blood donations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the cancellation of thousands of blood drives.
The American Red Cross has declared its first-ever national blood crisis earlier this month, emphasizing the urgent need for blood donations as the nation’s blood supply hits a ten-year low. The American Medical Association (AMA) has long called for the FDA to remove its discriminatory ban preventing many gay and bisexual men from becoming blood donors.
In the United States, nearly 11 million blood donors provide more than 14 million units of blood for transfusion each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is worth noting that the HIV epidemic extends beyond gay and bisexual men, with women accounting for approximately one in five new HIV diagnoses in the country, according to recent CDC data.
The FDA’s revised policy aims to expand the pool of potential blood donors while upholding appropriate safeguards to protect the blood supply. The agency asserts that the policy is evidence-based and aligns with similar policies in Canada and the United Kingdom.
The FDA’s guideline change has been met with relief from the medical community. Dr. Darien Sutton, an emergency medical physician and ABC News contributor, expressed a sense of relief, stating that this change is likely to lead to an increased supply and availability of a vital resource required for life-saving and life-sustaining treatment.
The new guidelines set forth by the American Red Cross, in accordance with the FDA’s recommendations, will promote inclusivity and ensure a safer and more adequate blood supply for patients nationwide. By removing outdated restrictions based on sexual orientation, the American Red Cross is taking a significant step forward in its commitment to an equitable and respectful blood donation process.
