FDA Revises Blood-Donation Policy to Allow More Gay Donors

The FDA has finalized new risk-based rules for blood donation, which will ask all donors the same set of questions regardless of their sexual orientation. The new rules require all prospective donors who report having a new sexual partner, or more than one sexual partner in the last three months, and anal sex in the past three months to defer donations to reduce the likelihood of donations by individuals with new or recent HIV infection. This paves the way for more gay and bisexual men to donate blood.