Author: Sara Habibipour
In September 2023, the FDA declared a national blood shortage. And, according to the Red Cross, there’s been a 25% decrease in donations since August. The fall in donor turnout is attributed to many things including one of the busiest travel seasons on record, back-to-school activities, back-to-back months of climate-driven disasters, and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During times of critically low blood supply, it’s vital–for those who are able–to give blood. Since the ‘80s, there have been discriminatory bans placed on gay and bisexual men who wanted to donate blood in the US due to largely misinformed fear of HIV transmission. However, recently these policies have been modified.
Since 2014, the FDA has revised its policy on members of the LBGTQ community donating blood 10 times. But, believe it or not, the US is only just starting to ease restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. There used to be a lifelong ban preventing gay and bisexual men from donating blood, which was only lifted in 2015. The FDA then said that they had to abstain from any sexual contact with men for 12 months prior to donating blood.
Then, in April 2020, they shortened that period to 3 months due to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, in May 2023, the FDA finalized guidance around a questionnaire asking donors if they had recently had sex with men, multiple sexual partners, etc. to reduce the risk of unknowingly transmitting HIV infection through a blood transfusion. Those who answer affirmatively still have to comply with the waiting period.
Gay-rights advocates say that if the policy denying gay and bisexual men the ability to give blood due to their sexual status was eliminated, then 345,400 to 615,300 pints of blood could potentially be added to the system per year (according to a 2014 analysis done by the Williams Institute at UCLA).
The Red Cross is supportive of the FDA’s new regulations, but say they’re unsure if it will actually result in more blood transfusions. However, this change is significant because it now establishes eligibility based on individual HIV and sexual status rather than generalizing a disease to a whole group of people.
If you’re able to donate blood, please visit this website: https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html
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