Assembly Member Pushes for Change to Blood-Donation Rules
Assembly member Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) has introduced a resolution (AJR 13) that calls on FDA to reverse its rule that bars men who have sex with men from donating blood, Capitol Weekly reports.
FDA adopted the policy in 1985 because of concerns that MSM were at increased risk for HIV.
The American Red Cross, the American Association for Blood Banks and America's Blood Centers support the resolution.
Leslie Botos -- vice president of public affairs for BloodSource, the largest blood bank in California -- said BloodSource "is taking a very neutral position" (Chernyavsky, Capitol Weekly, 4/30). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.