FINALLY

FDA Set to Ease Blood Donation Ban on Gay Men: Report

The longstanding ban began during the early days of the AIDS crisis—but was blasted over the years by critics who called the federal rule homophobic and ineffective.

The Food and Drug Administration is finally set to ease federal guidelines which banned gay and bisexual men from donating blood, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing officials with knowledge of the plan. New proposed rules would allow same-sex couples in monogamous relationships to donate their blood, ending a decades-long rule that began during the AIDS crisis. The proposal is expected to be adopted after the agency allows for public comment—and focuses on sexual behaviors rather than categorizing whole segments of the population as potential vectors for disease, officials said. Many critics have blasted the old set of rules as homophobic, and added that there was little research to support the ban in the first place. A host of other countries, including Israel, the U.K., Canada, Hungary and Brazil have all made similar changes in recent years.