Congressional Democrats continue calls for end to nation’s gay blood ban
Democrats on Capitol Hill are calling on the Department of Health and Human Services to issue a formal update on a review of policies regarding blood, tissue and organ donations from gay and bisexual men.
In a Sept. 8 letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, 18 senators and 51 members of the House of Representatives request within 30 days a written update on the department’s progress in reassessing the policy on blood and tissue donations, an estimation of when recommendations for policy changes will be announced publicly and when such changes will take effect and and what steps are being considered to make the adjustment of the blood and tissue deferral policies possible.
FDA policy prohibits men who have sex with men from donating blood for life and defers tissue donations for five years. Organ donations from gay and bisexual men are flagged as being high-risk, despite requirements under federal law that those organs be tested for HIV infection. The regulations have carried over since the 1980s and the height of the AIDS epidemic.
“These policies are inconsistent and fail to reflect the advances in HIV detection and the scientific community’s understanding of the virus since the policy was first established. Furthermore, these policies continue to perpetuate inaccurate stereotypes, promote discrimination, and discourage individuals from seeking other appropriate health services,” the letter states. “It is time that the agency took action, and we encourage such action to also address the deficiencies of the tissue donation policy.”
The letter notes a Washington Post story published last month detailing the rejection of the donation of the eyes of a gay 16-year-old who committed suicide because the teen’s mother could not confirm if her son had not been sexually active for the past five years. It also follows a letter sent in August 2013 by a bipartisan group of 86 members of Congress urging the department to accelerate the reevaluation of the blood ban, which came after the American Medical Association (AMA), the nation’s largest physician organization, passed a resolution opposing the current policy as discriminatory.
According to the letter sent today, former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius indicated the department’s review would conclude by late 2014 — a timeline reiterated by Burwell during her confirmation hearing before the Senate HELP Committee.
“We anxiously await that policy change and urge the Department to adopt a risk-based policy for all donors, as supported by the medical community,” Monday’s letter states, which was led by Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) Although GOP Sen. Mike Enzi (Wyo.) attached his name to the letter sent last year, no Republicans signed Monday’s letter to Burwell.
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