A gay teenager's tissue donation was rejected by the FDA because, in the agency's eyes, men who have sex with men are risk factors for transmittable diseases, Jezebel reported on Saturday.
AJ Betts was bullied for his sexual orientation, race and cleft lip until he committed suicide last year at age 16. His tissue, which includes his eyes, where rejected because of his orientation, but other organs were accepted for donation. Sherly Moore, the boy's mother, said his heart went to a 14-year-old boy, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The FDA prohibits tissue donations from donors it believes carry risk factors for diseases, including HIV. Men who have had sex with men in the last five years are ruled ineligible for donating tissue, including the eyes, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Since Moore didn't know if her son was sexually active or not before he died, his eyes were turned down for donation.
Moore thinks the regulation is archaic and hopes having her son's story heard will lead to change in the agency's policies.
However, the risk of tansplant-related HIV infections are low, according to aids.gov. All organ and tissue donors are screened for risk factors and tested for HIV and other infectious agents that could be transmitted to another person through transplantation.
Glenn Cohen, a bioethics law professor at Harvard Law School, has fought to repeal the rules, especially for blood donation, CBS reported.
Cohen said he thinks it's time for the FDA to reevaluate the policy because it's out of step with peer countries and modern medicine. He also said the FDA rules are uneven: men who have sex with a woman who is HIV positive or a sex worker are banned from donating for only one year, for example.
Jennifer Rodriguez, an FDA spokeswoman, said the agency is open to amending the lifetime ban policy and is waiting for the results of new research that will uncover additional evidence, according to CBS.