The Food and Drug Administration on Monday formally overturned the United States's 32-year-old ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, though significant restrictions will stay in place. Gay and bisexual men will now be allowed to donate blood, however, those who have had sexual contact with another man within the past year are still prohibited from donating, reported The New York Times.
The policy is in line with those in countries such as Australia and Britain, and similar restrictions apply to potential donors at increased risk for HIV, such as recent transfusion recipients, the FDA said.
"The FDA's responsibility is to maintain a high level of blood product safety for people whose lives depend on it," FDA acting commissioner Stephen Ostroff said in a statement, according to USA Today. "We have taken great care to ensure this policy revision is backed by sound science and continues to protect our blood supply."
The ban against blood donations from gay and bisexual men went into effect in 1983 in order protect blood transfusion recipients from getting infected with HIV. The FDA says its policies have helped reduce the risk of contracting HIV through a blood transfusion, from 1 in 2,500 to about a 1 in 1.47 million.
Medical groups and gay activists have long lobbied for repealing ban, saying it can no longer be justified considering modern testing methods that allow blood donors to be screened for HIV, according to the Guardian.
Others asked for the ban to stay in place, noting that blood tests can remain negative for about nine days after a person has been infected with HIV, which could allow people to slip through the screening process.
Most advocacy groups praised the decision as a step in the right direction. Still, some said it would be fairer to assess HIV risks from sexual behavior in a more individual manner. Such an assessment could include asking questions about anal and oral sex, rather than deeming all sexual contact as equally risky, according to National Gay Blood Drive spokesman Jay Franzone.
"The revised policy is still discriminatory," the group said in a statement, according to The Washington Post. "While many gay and bisexual men will be eligible to donate their blood and help save lives under this 12 month deferral, countless more will continue to be banned solely on the basis of their sexual orientation and without medical or scientific reasoning."
The FDA said that people with hemophilia and similar blood clotting disorders are still banned from donating blood because large needles could harm them. They were previously banned due to higher risk of HIV transmission, according to Reuters. People who have exchanged sex for drugs or money or injected illegal drugs are also still banned.
