Gay men still not allowed to give blood as US desperately needs donors
(WHO-DT/CNN/Meredith) — Many blood banks are getting low on inventory because social distancing is keeping donors away.
That’s shining a new spotlight on a regulation that prevents a large group of willing volunteers from helping – gay men.
For decades, the FDA has ruled that men who have had sex with other men in the last 12 months cannot give blood. The stigma behind that marginalized group is that they may transfer HIV to other patients by giving blood.
Keenan Crow with OneIowa, a nonprofit that helps the Iowa LGBTQ community, said this is not backed up by science but is just a stigma.
“It’s much more likely that you’ll be struck by lightning than receive HIV in a blood transfusion due to all these testing advancements,” Crow said.
In the middle of a pandemic, Iowa’s blood supply is plummeting – like all states in the US. Danielle West with Lifeserve Blood Center said because schools and businesses are closed, they’ve canceled many blood drives and have lost out on 1,300 donations. Each donation could potentially save three lives, meaning 3,900 lives are already impacted by the lack of donations.
Lifeserve Blood Center is the only provider of blood for hospitals in central Iowa.
While Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has recommended Iowans stay home, Lifeserve is making sure giving blood is still safe. They’re keeping the beds at least six feet apart and asking additional health screening questions. They’re also only taking donors by appointment, no walk-ins.
When their country needs them, many gay men remain willing but not able. It’s estimated that 360,000 gay men nationwide would donate blood if the ban was lifted.
Photo Credit: kmov.com