Can gay men donate blood us
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And in 2019, the current three-month deferral was adopted. Canada used to refuse blood and plasma donations from any man who had sex with another man (even once) at any time since 1977 - essentially a lifetime ban, though regulators prefer the term “deferral.” The deferral window here was eventually narrowed to five years, then one. Such donors could be accepted if they are taking PrEP, or if they have not had unprotected sex in the previous two weeks. Those facts suggest that the status quo of refusing all male donors who have been sexually active with another man in the past three months is not the most effective way to achieve a safe and adequate blood supply. As such, AABB encourages the adoption of safe and effective donor eligibility and screening processes based on assessment of individual donor risk for all blood. So here are the facts: nucleic acid testing detects HIV in blood within nine days of infection every blood and plasma donation is screened for HIV when taken every day, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication provides more than a 92 per cent reduction in HIV risk and the primary HIV risk factor for men who have sex with men is unprotected sex. Restrictions on gay and bisexual men donating blood stem. We will keep fighting until the deferral period is lifted and gay and bi men, and all LGBTQ people, are treated equal to others.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. To be eligible to donate blood in the United States, men who have sex with men must abstain from same-sex sexual activity for 90 days. The FDA’s decision to lower the deferral period on men who have sex with men from 12 months to 3 months is a step towards being more in line with science, but remains imperfect. "This is a victory for all of us who raised our collective voices against the discriminatory ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. Additionally, women who have had sex with a male partner who has had sex with another man in the last twelve months must also defer. "LGBTQ Americans can hold their heads up today and know that our voices will always triumph over discrimination," GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. Under the current blood donation regulations, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) have to wait for a three-month period since their last sexual contact with another man before donating blood. That policy helped reduce HIV transmission rates from blood transfusions. In the last week Democratic senators and gay rights advocacy groups have called on the federal government to loosen these restrictions, citing the recent blood shortages caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. In 1983, under Ronald Reagan, the FDA banned homosexuals from donating blood, to protect people needing blood transfusions. We must right this wrong now and without delay." Continuing to enforce the de facto prohibition on blood donation by sexually active gay and bisexual men does not reflect the best science available. He continued, "As the global pandemic wears on, the integrity and safety of the blood supply in this country must be preserved, strengthened, and maintained. But we can outline the scientific evidence backing each side of this ongoing debate. But our work is not yet done."ĭavid said it was "critical to prioritize science and facts over fear and bias," referring to the current COVID-19 pandemic. We take no position on whether the FDA’s blood donation policy is discriminatory against gay and bisexual men. "While this change by the FDA is a step in the right direction, it still bases itself in bias rather than science," Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.
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The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, recognized the FDA’s move as a step forward but said there’s more work to be done. Some hospitals are facing an oxygen shortage amid coronavirus crisis