SAN ANTONIO — Donating blood may soon become easier for gay and bisexual men.
The Food and Drug Administration is considering easing restrictions on blood donations amid a national blood shortage. Current federal rules prohibit blood banks from collecting donations from men who have been intimate with men within the last three months.
An option under discussion is moving from a three month deferral period to an individual risk assessment.
Robert Salcido Jr. knows what it's like to make a blood donation, but he also knows what it's like to be turned away.
"When I was younger in high school, I did give blood. As an adult, the last time I attempted to give blood, I was declined because of my sexual orientation," said Salcido Jr.
That was 15 years ago, according to Salcido. Donor restrictions for gay and bisexual men have changed over the years. In the early 1980s, there was a lifetime ban amid the HIV/AIDS crisis up until 2015 when it was significantly reduced to a one year deferral.
It was shortened again 2020 to a three month deferral. Salcido hopes it will one day be eliminated altogether.
"These restrictions are rooted in stigma. It's rooted in misinformation and disinformation from the past, from what we believed that we knew about HVI and AIDS. Clearly, medical experts show that this is no longer or wasn't even really a threat to begin with," he said.
He believes a deferral change would positively impact blood supply in San Antonio. The medical director of the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center welcomes the possibility of new donors.
"We welcome and look forward to what the FDA decides to put out," said Dr. Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul.
Currently, the FDA is reviewing results of a study designed to evaluate whether it's safe to change the donor deferral policy. The agency said it expects to issue updated draft guidance "in a few months" once it finished its study review.