Blood Donation Rules Changed—Likely for Good

New policy for gay men expected to stay in place
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 3, 2020 12:51 AM CDT
Feds Ease Restrictions on Blood Donations
Vials of blood for testing and a donated bag of blood are seen at an American Red Cross blood drive at the Carbondale YMCA in Carbondale, Pa.   (Jake Danna Stevens/The Times-Tribune via AP)

The US government Thursday eased restrictions on blood donations from gay men and other key groups because of a drop in the nation's blood supply triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration's new policy aims to allow tens of thousands more Americans to give blood, including gay and bisexual men and people with recent tattoos and piercings. "We want and we need healthy people—all healthy people—to give blood," said Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, who announced the changes in a media briefing with the FDA. Canceled blood drives have decimated donations to the American Red Cross and other nonprofits that provide most of the blood supply, the AP reports.

The FDA's previous rules barred donations from men who have had sex with a man in the previous year. The same policy applied to women who've had sex with gay or bisexual men and people who've received tattoos and piercings in the past year. Under the new policy, the disqualifying time period was reduced to three months. FDA officials said the move to three months matches recent changes in the United Kingdom and other developed countries. The FDA also made similar changes to restrictions for people who have recently traveled to countries where malaria exposure is a risk. The agency said it expects the changes to remain in place after the pandemic ends.

(More blood donations stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X