The rule applies to men who have sex with men, recipients of blood transfusions, and many people who have recently gotten piercings or tattoos. That’s because the virus does not immediately show up in blood tests. The Food and Drug Administration requires people with a high risk of HIV infection to wait a year after a potential exposure to donate blood. “Many of the spouses and loved ones of the victims who need blood can’t even donate blood right now,” Polis said. “I’m … hopeful that we can remove the ban that the FDA has on gay people donating blood,” Representative Jared Polis (D-Colorado) told local NBC affiliate KUSA on Sunday.
A hidebound stigma? A 'double tragedy?' US blood donation rules are coming under scrutiny after Sunday's mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando.Īfter many who most wanted to show support for the massacre’s victims weren’t allowed to donate blood, critics are calling for a change to federal regulations that bar sexually active gay men from becoming blood donors.
