8/13/2023 0 Comments Gay men cant donate blood![]() ![]() The deferral changed to one year beginning in 2015 and on April 2nd 2020 the FDA changed its guidelines from a 1-year deferral to a 3-month deferral. Since the mid-80s, men who have had sex with men (MSM) have been ineligible to donate blood based on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy. While these changes may take months to implement, we look forward to swiftly implementing the new guidance and welcoming donors who have previously been deferred from blood donation.”īloodworks Northwest’s mission supports everyone in our community, saving lives every day. This means that ALL prospective donors will be asked the same risk-based questionnaire when signing up to give blood. This proposed policy change is based on the individual behavior of the prospective donor and not on their sexual orientation or gender. “We have enthusiastically advocated for equality and inclusivity in the blood donation process while maintaining blood supply safety and applaud today’s FDA announcement of the change to an individual risk assessment in determining donor eligibility. Kirsten Alcorn, Co-Chief Medical Officer at Bloodworks Northwest. “ Bloodworks Northwest has supported changing the FDA policy regarding blood donation by men who have sex with men (MSM) to end discriminatory practices against the LGBTQ+ community and increase the pool of eligible blood donors based on data about high risk behaviors rather than social group,” said Dr. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has formally announced its decision to implement gender-inclusive, individual risk assessment of all blood donors to reduce the risk of HIV in the blood supply.Īn individual risk assessment of all donors will maintain the safety of the blood supply, make blood donation more inclusive, ensure all donors are treated equally, and enable more people the opportunity to donate blood.īloodworks joins blood centers across America supporting final FDA guidance implementing individual blood donor assessments based on science. We have too little knowledge at the moment to know if the blood donation rules are evidence based or not, and what the best rules would be in a Swedish context.FDA Eases Restrictions On Blood Donations for Gay, Bisexual Men It needs to be investigated if the current risk groups and risk behaviours are still applicable in Sweden. We need new research in the Swedish context about the blood donation rules. The blood is thoroughly checked to ensure safety, and RFSL believes that MSM should have the right to donate, provided that patient safety standards are high.Ĭonsidering the research and the screening and testing of blood, RFSL does not think it necessary for MSM to abstain from sex for half a year Rather, there should be a 3-month period of abstinence for MSM that should also apply to women who have sex with MSM. The number of blood donors decreases every year in Sweden and, at the same time, there are potential donors who would give blood if allowed – we believe that we need all the donors we can get. Before every donation, donors are subjected to an interview and all blood is tested for HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B and C. It is only at the second visit that blood is taken for donation purposes. ![]() New donors have to submit an initial blood test. Testing the BloodĪll blood that is donated is tested to ensure that it does not contain bacteria or viruses that can transmit disease. The regulations concerning trans people are unclear, as donation centers often base their regulations on legal gender. Women who have sex with women and straight couples can give blood three-months after a sexual encounter with a new partner, but abstinence is not required. ![]() If he also has sex with women, he shouldn’t have had a new partner for three months, but there’s no complete deferral period. Men who have sex with men may donate blood after a deferral period of six months, meaning that he shouldn’t have had sex with another man during the last six months. Rules for Blood DonationĪs of there are new regulations about blood donation. The information below includes RFSL's position on blood donation for men who have sex with men. Prior to 2012, it was not possible at all for a man who had ever had sex with another man to donate blood. Since the HIV epidemic began in Sweden, there have been certain rules for blood donation. ![]()
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