Sick! FDA lifts ban on gays donating blood

[Claimjumper]

The Food and Drug Administration has lifted its lifetime ban on accepting blood donations from men who have had sex with men.

"The FDA is changing its recommendation that men who have sex with men (MSM) be indefinitely deferred . . . to 12 months since the last sexual contact with another man," the administration announced Monday.


This final guidance from the FDA is the culmination of several years of scientific research as well as consultation with external advisory committees and other government agencies.


"We have taken great care to ensure this policy revision is backed by sound science and continues to protect our blood supply," FDA Acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, M.D. said.


The lifetime ban of blood donations from gay and bisexual men was implemented by the FDA in 1983 at the start of the AIDS crisis, when little was known about the spread of the disease



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"The United States government has to stop reacting to HIV like it is the early 1980s," said Kelsey Louie, CEO for Gay Men's Health Crisis said. GMHC is the nation's leading provider of HIV and AIDS care.


"It is time for the FDA to implement a policy that is truly based on science, not blanket bans on certain groups of people," Louie said.


In 2006, the AABB (formerly known as the American Association of Blood Banks), America's Blood Centers and the American Red Cross said in a joint statement that the lifetime MSM blood-ban was "medically and scientifically unwarranted" and urged the FDA to modify blood donation policies so they are "comparable with criteria for other groups at increased risk of sexual transmission of transfusion transmitted infections."


The Human Rights Campaign called the change a "step in the right direction," but said the new policy, "still falls short of a fully acceptable solution because it continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men."



Dr. Peter Marks, deputy director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the yearlong celibacy requirement for MSM is supported by scientific evidence relevant to the U.S. population.


"In reviewing our policies to help reduce the risk of HIV transmission through blood products, we rigorously examined several alternative options, including individual risk assessment," Marks said.




In addition to changing the lifetime ban for homosexual and bisexual men donating blood, the FDA also made recommendations regarding "donor educational materials, donor history questionnaires and accompanying materials, as well as donor requalification and product management procedures," the release said.
Part of the donor history questionnaire asks that transgender individuals self-identify and self-report for the purpose of blood donation.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/21/health/fda-gay-men-blood-donation-changes/index.html

 

[davidholly]

This still excludes most gays, precludes anyone who's had gay sex in the past 12 months from donating blood.

 

[frederic38]

This still excludes most gays, precludes anyone who's had gay sex in the past 12 months from donating blood.

and how do you make sure that gays didn't have sex in the last 12 months?
it's an irresponsible decision, only to show gays are superior citizens to other men in our societies
gay men make up 40% of the people who have AIDS
and are 1% of the population
regular people with this risk of being HIV positive can't donate blood

in france the ban was lifted a few months ago

shameless pro-gay stuff

 

[davidholly]

and how do you make sure that gays didn't have sex in the last 12 months?

How could the FDA previously be certain about their sexuality? They couldn't, they relied entirely on self reporting. Nothing has really changed. The honest gays are still excluded.

 

[frederic38]

How could the FDA previously be certain about their sexuality? They couldn't, they relied entirely on self reporting. Nothing has really changed. The honest gays are still excluded.

things were clearer before
you are gay=you can't donate because you are a risk group
by saying "you're gay, but it's ok if you didn't have sex in the last 12 months", they are giving them more oportunities to lie like "sure i had sex in the last 12 months, but not that much, so i can lie and donate"

and all this while these damn scientists don't even know what AIDS really is
they are making sure that something similar and more deadly will happen in the future

 

[FootballDad]

Way back in my youth, my mom was a Jehovah's Witness. One of their tenets being no blood transfusions. It stems from old Mosaic laws in regards to blood and blood products. Although the passages refer to consumption, hence kosher practices for meat products in the Jewish community, maybe they are on to something. Here is a brief overview of alternatives. Most are saline-based volume expanders, although the medical community has been working on substitute oxygen carriers with some success for awhile now.