OAN’s Geraldyn Berry
10:25 AM – Thursday, May 11, 2023
A new regulation that will let more homosexual and bisexual men donate blood has been finalized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday.
According to the new regulation, all prospective donors would be required to perform an individual risk assessment under the most recent regulations, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. One might be urged to postpone giving blood if they have recently had anal intercourse with a new partner or with more than one partner.
According to the amended standards, most homosexual and bisexual men who are in a committed relationship with another man will no longer be required to refrain from sex in order to give blood. In addition, blood donors would be requested to postpone their donations if they have been taking medicine to prevent or treat an HIV infection.
This comes as in the past, the FDA had only permitted contributions from men who engage in male intercourse provided they had abstained for three months.
Director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Dr. Peter Marks, attested that the amendment represents a “significant milestone” but will continue to monitor the safety of the blood supply.
“The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,” said Marks.
The AIDS epidemic, which had started in the early 1980s and occurred at a time when little was known about HIV, led to the FDA’s limits on blood donations from men who have had sex with males.
The new regulations, which are in line with those in Canada and the United Kingdom, had been initially recommended by the agency in January.
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