Easing Rules For Blood Donations

Amid a shortage that’s also affecting Wyoming hospitals.. The FDA announces it’s easing restrictions on who can donate blood and will now allow gay and bisexual men and people from other groups to give blood.

New guidelines call for all potential donors to be screened through a questionnaire that evaluates their individual risk for HIV based on recent sexual partners and past sexual behavior among other factors. 

“We believe that there will be no change to risk in the blood supply in terms of HIV, hepatitis b or hepatitis c. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to, with a straight face, sit here and make that change because we have to maintain a very safe blood supply. Blood is used every day.”

If the draft guidelines are approved, many gay and bisexual men will be able to donate blood for the first time in decades. The FDA hopes the move will boost blood donations across the country. In the past, the US blocked blood donations from gay and bisexual men during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980’s.