Senators ask FDA to lift ban on gay blood

The push to eliminate the lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men received a boost yesterday, when 18 senators signaled their support for such a change.

“[H]ealthy blood donors are turned away every day due to an antiquated policy,” Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said in a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

“We live in a very different country than we did in 1983,” when gay and bisexual men were permanently “deferred” from giving blood, due to the HIV/AIDS crisis, the letter said.

[ via Washington Times ]