On June 11th, the Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability (ABSCA) voted 6-9 against changing current FDA rules that ban any man who has had sex with another man since 1977 from donating blood for life.  Following that vote, the committee voted 14 – 0 in stating that the current ban is “suboptimal in permitting some potential high risk donations while preventing some potentially low risk donations.”  The committee then made a recommendation to Assistant Secretary of Health, Howard Koh, that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) conduct research on how to make changes to eligibility requirements that would better assess risks for both the MSM and non-MSM populations. Community advocates have stated that they anticipate a response from the Assistant Secretary on the recommendations that clearly outline timelines and responsibilities.
 
At the meeting, AIDS Action’s Political Director William McColl, offered public commentary in favor of using a risk based assessment rather than a categorical ban stating, “Unfortunately, the current policy banning men who have sex with men from donating blood is discriminatory.  The current system of screening fails to distinguish between men who have sex with men who are at lower risk from men who have sex with men at higher risk.”  AIDS Action plans to continue monitoring this issue and working with HHS to ensure that the necessary research to begin making changes is fully and promptly conducted.