Red Cross Calls For Equal Treatment

For the first time since a ban prohibiting gay men from donating blood went into effect more than two decades ago, the American Red Cross is petitioning the government to revise the guideline.
A federal Food & Drug Administration advisory panel heard arguments against the policy today in Bethesda, Md., at a conference on "Behavior-Based Blood Donor Deferrals in the Era of Nucleic Acid Testing."
The current FDA policy, passed in 1985, prohibits any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 from donating blood for the rest of his life.
The Red Cross joined the American Association of Blood Banks and America's Blood Centers in asking for guidelines that treat all donors equally.
"The AABB, ABC and ARC believe that the current lifetime deferral for men who have had sex with other men is medically and scientifically unwarranted and recommend that deferral criteria be modified and made compatible with criteria for other groups at increased risk for sexual transmission of transfusion-transmitted infections," the groups said in a joint statement issued at the conference.
The organizations believe that improved HIV testing renders the current ban obsolete.
"From the perspective of eliciting an appropriate risk history for exposure to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the critical period is the three weeks immediately preceding donation and the length of this window period provides the scientific basis for deferral periods for at risk sexual behavior," the statement said.
Ryland Dodge, director of biomedical communication for the Red Cross in Washington, D.C., said that since the last time the FDA considered the ban — back in 2000 — more information concerning the safety of blood transfusions has surfaced.
"There is newer and more accurate testing available," Dodge said. "We are in unison with the other organizations in calling for new guidelines."
The Red Cross supplies almost half of the nation's blood supply, according to its website.
In 2000, the American Association of Blood Banks unsuccessfully lobbied the FDA for a deferral period of 12 months for gay men.
Jennifer Garfinkle, AABB public relations manager, said the groups are not advocating a specific deferral period for gay men in the new statement.
But the groups do ask the FDA to bring gay men into line with other FDA blood donor deferrals, such as a person who has visited a prostitute, who cannot donate blood for 12 months.
Garfinkle said that if the FDA relaxed the guidelines for gay men, it would not lead to a "major effect on the blood supply." Dodge, with the Red Cross, agreed, noting there is no data on exactly how many gay men would donate blood if the ban is revised.
FDA officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the recommendations.
Prior to the conference, FDA spokesperson Stephen King said the agency appreciates the desire of all individuals to donate blood, but the safety of the blood supply is a result of multiple layers of protection, including donor screening.
"Congress and the public have made it clear they expect the FDA to ensure the lowest risk feasible concerning transmission of serious infectious diseases by donated blood and blood components," King said March 7. "FDA policies to defer blood donors is based on certain risk behaviors, including males having sex with males, and on the best available scientific data."
from The Houston Voice