Whether you work in an emergency room, where accident victims need rapid blood transfusions, or a long-term care facility with patients who need frequent transfusions, you're probably aware that the nation's blood supply is subject to frequent shortages. The American Medical Association (AMA) and other public health organizations have become vocal critics of a decades-old FDA policy that prevents gay men from donating blood. This ban, rooted in the AIDS scare of the 1980s, has come under renewed scrutiny in light of the AMA's recent vote to formally oppose the ban. With this decision, the AMA joined the Red Cross, America's Blood Centers, and other groups in calling for an end to a policy that has been called both discriminatory and bad science.
The ban against blood donations from gay men dates back to the 1980s, when the emerging threat of HIV and AIDS caused a wide-scale public health crisis. At that time, tests for detecting HIV were rudimentary, and infected blood was inadvertently given to thousands of patients. Because it was known that men who had sex with men were at increased risk of catching HIV and developing AIDS, the FDA instituted a policy of banning blood from those donors. While it is still true that the largest number of new HIV infections in the United States occur among men who have a history of sexual activity with other men, critics of the ban say that improved testing methods and protocols to ensure that patients only receive healthy blood make it unnecessary to reject gay blood donors as a group.
Another criticism of the ban is that it requires donors to self identify, so only donors who answer screening questions honestly are rejected. Additionally, all donated blood is subject to the same screening protocol regardless of the demographic information of the donor. A board member of the AMA said in a statement that the FDA's ban amounts to discrimination and "is not based on sound science." After the vote, the AMA suggested that a new policy be created that considers donors individually rather than rejecting them as part of a high-risk group.
The AMA's June 2013 vote highlights the fragility of the nation's blood supply. In that same month, there was a 10 percent drop in blood donations nationwide. Under current policies, no more than 38 percent of people in the United States are eligible to be blood donors. The head of the AMA, Dr. Larry Monahan, stated that the rate of infection among a particular group should not prevent anyone from donating blood because blood can be tested. A blood drive organized by activists against the ban aims to highlight the number of healthy donors the FDA is turning away.
The AMA vote against the FDA's ban on gay male blood donors has added another voice to the many healthcare organizations calling for an end to the policy, which was enacted at a time when blood-screening techniques were far less reliable than they are today. A repeal of this ban may help healthcare providers reduce shortages and that ensure their patients have access to healthy blood.
(Photo courtesy of Sura Nualpradid / freedigitalphotos.net)
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