Allowing gay men to donate blood can save millions of lives by producing an additional 615,300 pints of blood per year, a new study revealed.
Study author Ayako Miyashita from the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law at the University of California, Los Angeles and his colleagues reviewed the data of three surveys conducted from 2008 to 2012 involving almost 20 million adult male respondents, aged 18 and above.
The data showed that 8.5 percent of men, or 10 million, admitted that they had at least one male sex partner since 18; 4 percent of them had one in the last five years while 3.8 percent had one in the last 12 months.
Further analysis showed that 45 percent of men, or 45 million, are qualified to donate blood, but only 9 percent of them were able to do so. Only 9.2 million are able to donate per year.
Based on the actual donations and the qualified donors, the researchers computed on the number of additional blood donations if the ban will be lifted. The analysis suggested that an additional 360,300 men will be able to donate 615,300 additional pints of blood per year. Those who had no male sexual partner for the past five years account to an additional 172,000 men who can make 293,400 blood donations.
The researchers concluded that allowing gay men to donate blood could increase the total annual blood supply by up to four percent. The American Red Cross projected that more than 1.8 million of lives could be saved by the additional blood donations.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned gay men from donating blood since 1977 due to the high risk of transmitting HIV. This policy was disputed by the LGBT organizations arguing that the restriction was based on discrimination instead of valid medical concern since donors are tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C prior to donation.
The FDA argued that they would only lift the ban if a scientific study will be able to prove that it will not increase the risk of transmitting infections.
"We applaud the critical contributions made by blood donors and we are sensitive to the concerns of potential donors and other individuals affected by current blood safety policies," said FDA spokeswoman, Jennifer Rodriguez, to Reuters.
