![can gay men donate blood in the us can gay men donate blood in the us](https://thenib.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/it-s-2018-and-gay-men-still-can-t-give-blood-in-america-003-f24-690x1035.jpeg)
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. Read more about changes to blood donation rules for. MSM must be celibate for three months to give blood because of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy dating back 40 years to the onset of the AIDS crisis. Currently, all men must wait 3 months after having oral or anal sex with another man before donating. "This is a victory for all of us who raised our collective voices against the discriminatory ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. Right now in the U.S., gay and bisexual men (often referred to as MSM, or men who have sex with men) are not allowed to give blood if they’ve had sex with another man in the past three months. Even so, gay and bisexual men, clinically referred to as men who have sex with men or MSM, are still being told that their blood is too dangerous to donate. "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. This work examines how organizations have made arguments.
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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. This thesis deals directly with the FDA ban on sexually active homosexual men from donating blood. We must right this wrong now and without delay." Gay and bisexual men in the United States are no longer barred from donating blood, under a policy change announced Monday by the Food and Drug Administration, but there's a big catch: Men still. 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 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. In April 2020, for example, the United States cut a 12-month waiting period for gay and bi men giving blood to three months, having reported a dramatic slump in donations. Many argue the federal policy is driven by stigma rather than science. "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. Men who've had COVID-19 and have sex with other men must wait three months before donating potentially life-saving plasma.