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In a letter to the US Department of
Health and Human Services, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and four other
colleagues have requested a quick review of the ban on gay men donating blood.
More than 80 other congressional
lawmakers signed the letter that was initiated when a Massachusetts constituent
told Warren that his blood donation was rejected after the Boston Marathon
bombings this past April. “For me, this has been a basic issue of fairness and
of science. Blood donation policies should be grounded in science, not ugly and
inaccurate stereotypes,” Warren said.
Warren’s letter to HHS cited the
American Medical Association’s recently crafted resolution that asked for a
lifting of the ban “in favor of a policy based on individual risk factors other
than sexual orientation.” The letter noted that science dealing with the
HIV/AIDS epidemic has changed in the past three decades. Since 2006, other
organizations have supported removing the ban, including the American
Association of Blood Banks, the Red Cross and American’s Blood Centers. Since
the issue has been under discussion in the medical community for nearly seven
years, the letter also expressed concern “with the pace of HHS’s review of the
current policy and requests documents, criteria, and plans for finishing the
review.”
HHS was conducting additional
research “to help inform policy discussions” that were not yet complete, stated
an email from an agency spokesperson. “HHS is committed to continuously
improving the safety and availability of the nation’s blood supply,”
Spokesperson Diane Gianelli added.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
