Gay Blood-Donation Ban May End

Since 1983, men who have sex with men are banned from giving blood in the U.S. due to concerns back then over transmission of HIV. Now, a U.S. advisory panel at the FDA is reportedly poised to recommend for the first time that the ban be partially ended. The American Red Cross says the risk is infinitesimal, and therefore a ban is unjustified. The U.S. will likely adopt a one-year deferral similar to the U.K., Australia, and Canada, which defers men who have sex with other men from giving blood until a year or five years after the last encounter.