Jan. 29, 2023 – The FDA has proposed updating blood donor screening questions to be gender-inclusive, in a long-sought move away from uniform exclusions for gay men and men who have sex with men.
Newly proposed questions about sexual activity would be asked of all donors to screen for HIV risk. The protocol was validated in an FDA-funded safety study and is already in place in Canada and the United Kingdom. The move steps away from policies set in place in the 1980s at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
“Donating blood is one of several really important symbolic methods of demonstrating one’s caring for other people,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf told The Washington Post. “We want to make that available to everyone possible in the context of a safe blood supply.”
With the new protocol, all blood donors regardless of gender or sexual orientation who report having new or multiple sexual partners in the past 3 months would be asked about a history of having anal sex in the past 3 months. If they report having recent anal sex, they would be deferred from donation.
Under this screening format, donors who did not have new or multiple partners in the past 3 months would be eligible to donate blood.
In addition to screening questions, donated blood is also routinely screened for HIV.
The FDA will gather public comment on the proposed changes and then, if approved, donation centers would need to implement the new screening questions. On that timeline, the new eligibility criteria would go into effect at the end of this year or in early 2024, The Washington Post reported.
In a statement, American Red Cross officials said they were “pleased” to see the FDA’s proposal, noting that the organization had long advocated for the changes.
“The American Red Cross is committed to achieving an inclusive blood donation process that treats all potential donors with equality and respect, and ensures a safe, sufficient blood supply is readily available for patients in need,” officials wrote. “The Red Cross also recognizes the hurt this policy has caused and that these are just the first steps in repairing relationships with the broader LGBTQ community.”
Whether it is for traumatic injuries, surgeries, cancer treatment or chronic illnesses, someone needs donated blood every 2 seconds in the U.S, according to the American Red Cross.