FDA continues blood donation ban for gay men
Monday, July 2nd, 2007If you’re a man who has sex with other men, forget about donating blood.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided, once again, to not lift a decades-old policy that doesn’t allow gay men to donate blood. The policy was put in place in 1983 and has never been revised.
According to the FDA, “[Men who have sex with men] are, as a group, at increased risk for HIV, Hepatitis B and certain other infections that can be transmitted by transfusion.” Despite advances in screening tests, the FDA notes that infections can’t always be detected, especially if a person has been infected within three weeks prior to the screening.
But critics say the ban shuts out many healthy people, particularly at a time when there’s a critical need for blood donations. Even the American Red Cross has asked the FDA to reconsider their stance. So has LEAD Georgia, an emergency care training company in Atlanta.
Joseph Mendoza, chief operating officer of LEAD Georgia, says the risk of contracting HIV or hepatitis from a blood transfusion is approximately one in 2 million. The solution to the screening problem, says Chuck Obina, president of LEAD Georgia, is to exclude donors who have engaged in risky sex or used drugs for a month prior to giving blood.
“The policy adopted by the FDA is outdated and prevents potential donors from contributing to blood banks,” Obina said in a statement. “What the FDA is not considering is that refusal to lift the ban and modify policy is now discrimination against the gay community.”
Is it discrimination, or just playing it safe?
