US House Democrats Urge FDA To Reassess Blood Donation Restrictions For Gay Men - Letter

US House Democrats Urge FDA to Reassess Blood Donation Restrictions for Gay Men - Letter

Democrats on the US House Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to reassess its current restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2022) Democrats on the US House Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday sent a letter to the food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to reassess its current restrictions on blood donations by gay and bisexual men.

"We write to request that the Food and Drug Administration take immediate action to reassess its current blood donation policy, which has had the discriminatory effect of preventing gay and bisexual men from safely donating blood," the letter said.

While FDA has made progress in updating this "troubling policy," the existing recommendation that blood centers turn away men who have sex with men in the past three months continues to stigmatize them and undermine crucial efforts to ensure an adequate and stable national blood supply, the letter said.

On Tuesday, the American Red Cross declared its first-ever national blood crisis in the United States. The American Red Cross also experienced a 34% decrease in new blood donors in 2021.

The Democrat lawmakers said in the letter that the implementation of an individualized risk-based assessment could potentially eliminate the FDA's deferral period for gay and bisexual men as well as other demographic categories subject to deferrals.

The lawmakers also requested the FDA to provide their staff with a briefing regarding the agency's current blood donation policy and with any plans to revise the policy as well as the efforts to ensure an adequate national blood supply.

The letter was signed by Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Liberties Chairman Jamie Raskin and Congresswomen Katie Porter and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.