The Food and Drug Administration has eased restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men in the midst of dwindling blood supplies amid the growing coronavirus crisis.
The FDA announced Thursday that it was cutting the mandatory waiting period for men who had sex with other men to donate blood from 12 months down to three months in an attempt to increase the stockpile of available blood supplies for the spiking number of COVID-19 patients.
“As a result of this public health emergency, there is a significant shortage in the supply of blood in the United States,” the agency wrote.
“Given the public health emergency related to COVID-19 declared by the Department of Health and Human Services, this guidance is being implemented without prior public comment because FDA has determined that prior public participation for this guidance is not feasible or appropriate.”
The FDA instituted the rule in December 2015 in an attempt to curb the spread of HIV, which the agency deemed to be more prevalent among gay men. The measure required men to wait a full year after having sex with another man before they could donate blood.
LGBT rights groups had long lobbied for the restriction to be lifted, lobbying lawmakers for the same right to donate blood as heterosexuals.
In a statement Thursday, the American Red Cross championed the scaling back of those restrictions.
“The American Red Cross believes blood donation eligibility should not be determined by methods that are based upon sexual orientation,” the statement said.
“Together, we will work toward an inclusive and equitable blood donation process that treats all potential donors with equality and respect, and ensures a safe, sufficient blood supply is ready available for patients in need.”
