“But while the committee’s decision wasn’t ideal, we have them on the record saying that they can do better.” “We certainly see this as a discriminatory issue,” said Nathan Schaefer, director of public policy for the Gay Men’s Health Crisis, an AIDS service organization in New York City. Some saw a silver lining in the acknowledgment by the panel, known as the Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability, that the current policy is “suboptimal.” The committee recommended that more research be done on alternative policies before the ban is lifted. The agency announced it would revisit the issue, but in June a government advisory board voted to uphold the restriction, disappointing not only gays but also the nation’s leading blood banks, which have spoken out against the rule. Critics say the ban is scientifically and medically unjustified and that it unfairly singles out gay men.Įarlier this year, Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, and 17 other senators sent a letter to the agency opposing the ban. has re-examined the ban over the years, but maintains that the restriction is necessary to keep the blood supply safe and untainted by H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS.
Since 1983, the Food and Drug Administration has barred them from donating. For most people, donating blood is as simple as rolling up a sleeve.
