The American Medical Association (AMA) voted June 18th to oppose the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men (MSM). The AMA policy also called for the use of evidence-based and consistent methods in deferring blood donors. The FDA currently prohibits men who have had sex with men at any time since 1977 from donating blood. The AMA, however, suggests that the lifetime ban on blood donation from MSM is discriminatory, and that deferrals should be established according to an individual’s risk, but not on sexual orientation alone. Donated blood is routinely tested for HIV in the United States. The risk of transfusion-transmitted HIV is 1 per 2 million units of blood.
References
1. American Medical Association. AMA Adopts New Policies on Second Day of Voting at Annual Meeting. June 18, 2013. Accessed July 1, 2013.
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/2013/2013-06-18-new-ama-policies-annual-meeting.page
2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Blood Donations from Men Who Have Sex with Other Men Questions and Answers. Accessed July 1, 2013.
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/BloodBloodProducts/QuestionsaboutBlood/ucm108186.htm
