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The FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research regulates and establishes standards for the collection of blood and blood products. They encourage individuals who believe they may now be eligible to give under the new guidelines to visit to learn more about donor eligibility requirements that help ensure the safety of both blood donors and blood recipients.
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On June 8, the American Red Cross implemented the changes to donor eligibility criteria announced earlier this spring by the FDA. According to the Food and Drug Administration, this pre-screening eliminates up to 90 percent of donors who may be carrying a blood-borne disease. Blood centers nationwide screen potential donors by asking a set of questions written to determine risk factors that could indicate possible infection with a transmissible disease, such as HIV or hepatitis. On April 2, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it was updating its policy regarding blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM), reducing the deferral period from 12 months to three months. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here.What is the current federal policy on gay and bisexual men donating blood?
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Quarantining away from your partner? We asked therapists how to cope.How the coronavirus is changing queer lives "The policy remains discriminatory in nature, unaligned with science, and continues to prevent LGBTQ Americans from saving lives." "Not only is it imperative that gay and bisexual men who are now able to donate blood be allowed to do so without delay, the FDA must also lift the 3 month deferral in its entirety," Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO of GLAAD, told NBC News. Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ organizations continue to protest what they believe to be a discriminatory policy. Kate Fry of America's Blood Centers said she anticipates her network's centers will be able to accept newly eligible donors in June or July. A spokesperson for New York Blood Center said it hopes to be able to receive newly eligible donors by mid-May, while the Red Cross anticipates it will be able to in June.
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A spokesperson for Carter BloodCare said that the staff training would take at least 30 days. Spokespeople for multiple blood centers nationwide told NBC News they would not be able to receive newly eligible donors for several weeks.