The Food and Drug Administration is reportedly making plans to allow gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to give blood without abstaining from sex for 90 days, building on a long-standing policy that barred men who are currently having sex with men from donating.
The new policy would require potential donors to fill out a new questionnaire that would analyze their sexual activity, including whether they’ve had any new sexual partners in the past three months, people familiar with the plans told the Wall Street Journal.
The FDA has slowly eased blood donation restrictions for gay and bisexual men over the past decade. In 2015, the agency lifted the lifetime ban on men having sex with men that were put in place in the 1980s during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, allowing those who haven’t had sexual intercourse with another man in the last year to donate.
Most recently, the agency reduced the withdrawal period from 12 months to 3 months in 2020 due to blood shortages during the pandemic. The agency said this policy eliminated 90% of blood donors who carry a blood-borne disease, including HIV, as many infections would be evident during that time.
Breaking: Men in monogamous same-sex relationships would be allowed to donate blood without abstaining from sex under new FDA rules, people familiar with the plans say https://t.co/MRphaOFVNY
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) November 30, 2022
In addition to the screening process, donated blood undergoes a variety of tests to determine the presence of HIV, hepatitis, and other blood-borne diseases.
The expected policy change comes after an FDA-funded study of 1,600 gay and bisexual men conducted by Vitalant, OneBlood, and the American Red Cross concluded earlier this year. The study tested whether a risk assessment questionnaire would be as effective as the 90-day policy in keeping the blood supply safe.
“The agency believes that the initial data from the study, taken in the context of other available blood surveillance data in the United States and other countries, is likely to support a policy transition to donor screening applications based on individual risk-based. Transmission of HIV,” the FDA said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “We expect to publish an updated draft guideline in the coming months.”
The FDA said it would take into account the study’s findings, which have not been made public, as well as developments in blood donation policies emerging from other countries when drafting its guidance.
The American Red Cross, the American Medical Association, the Human Rights Campaign, and other organizations have urged the FDA to change its blood donation policies, suggesting it discriminates against gay and bisexual men, although they have warned any changes must maintain the safety of blood supplies.
Other countries have taken similar steps to lift the restrictions. Earlier this year, Canada removed a similar three-month requirement, instead opting to screen potential donors on their sexual history.
