“We know that, for many decades, the FDA’s policies have obviously caused a lot of hurt to the LGBTQ community. The Red Cross says the new guidance should make nearly everyone feel welcome. “It makes blood donation more inclusive, and it also keeps the blood supply safe.” “The Red Cross believes this is one of the most significant changes in blood banking history,” said Rodney Wilson, a senior biomedical communications specialist with the Red Cross. Some gay men will still be excluded, even with the update, but the FDA touted the change as a “significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community.” Risk is assessed based on behavior rather than on orientation. On May 11, the FDA’s guidance caught up to the science, at least for the most part. (Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images) Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images/FILEīill to revamp national organ donation system goes to Biden’s desk A feat made possible thanks to the human chain that will be deployed for several hours. During an organ transplant, from the moment the organ is removed from a donor, a "race against time" is undertaken until the transplantation. In this picture taken on December 9, 2022, thoracic surgeons Thomas Charrier (C) and Ludovic Dupautet (2ndL) from the Foch hospital in Suresnes outside Paris, disembark from a jet with their medical equipment and an organ transport ice chest (L), at an airport in eastern France on their way to an undisclosed hospital where they head to remove the lungs of a deceased patient and bring them back to the Foch hospital for a transplantation to be performed later in the day. Over the years, the ban eased a little but still excluded most gay men from donating. Initially, gay and bisexual men who had sex with men were banned for donating for life. Rather than screen people out for risky behavior, it screened people for who they were. Over the years, blood banks became better able to screen for HIV among gay and bisexual men, but the FDA policy stayed the same. ![]() At the time, blood could be screened for HIV antibodies, but the test wasn’t perfect and could not catch every HIV infection. The policy was created early in the AIDS epidemic, when the US surgeon general estimated that 70% of people with HIV were gay or bisexual men. ![]() “But I had in that moment a conversation I’ve had many times in my life, which is explain to people why I can’t take part in this community service to others because of a stigma-based policy that the FDA has maintained for 40 years,” Kinsley said. Roy Cooper donated to raise awareness, and staff approached Kinsley to do the same. In January 2022, when North Carolina was facing an unprecedented shortage of blood, Gov. “It’s really not people that are at risk,” he said. The old guidance stigmatized men like him. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Roy Cooper donate blood on Monday, August 7. Kody Kinsley, right, and North Carolina Gov.
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