This week, President Obama’s administration has expressed support for the Food and Drug Administration’s motion to lift a current ban that prevents gay and bisexual men from donating blood. However, the proposed revision does not do much to solve the problem.
In a “half-step” in the right direction, the new policy states that men who have had sex with other men (MSM) within the past year will not be eligible donors.
In some aspects, this revision can be considered a victory. According to The Williams Institute, “A modification of the current blood ban to a 12-month deferral policy will increase the number of eligible donors by over 2 million men.” More donors means more donations, and more donations means more lives saved.
