Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) loosened restrictions on blood donations by men who have sex with men, a change that could ease blood shortages by allowing more people to donate.
The agency said it will recommend a series of “individual risk-based questions” that will be the same for every donor, regardless of sexual orientation, sex, or gender. Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships will be allowed to donate blood. Under current FDA guidelines for donating blood, men who have sex with men are permitted to donate blood after a three-month deferral period in which they abstain from sexual encounters with men.
The new policy eliminates current time-based restrictions in favor of a more inclusive policy based on the best scientific evidence. #Queer Up Health