FDA Moves To Ease Rules For Blood Donations From Gay Men

WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. plans to make it easier for gay and bisexual men to give blood by easing restrictions on groups that typically face higher risks of HIV.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed dropping the three-month abstinence requirement for donations from men who have sex with men.

Donors would instead be screened using a questionnaire that evaluates individual risks for HIV, including sexual behavior.

As a result, gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships could soon be able to donate blood for the first time in decades.

The U.S. and other countries began restricting blood donations from gay and bisexual men during the AIDS crisis of the early 1980s.