The FDA permanently bans MSM (men who have sex with other men) from donating blood.Every 2 seconds someone needs blood (America’s Blood Centers).About 1 in 7 hospital patients will receive a blood product (America’s Blood Centers).
Less than 10% of the US population donates annually. If one more percent of all Americans would donate blood, blood shortages would disappear in the foreseeable future (America’s Blood Centers).
NAT (Nucleic Acid Testing) has been used for the past 10 years to screen blood against HIV. NAT is able to detect infection less than two weeks post infection. This method is much more reliable and sensitive than the conventional methods that were used (Caplan, 2010).
In 2006, the AABB, Red Cross and ABC(America’s Blood Centers) presented to the FDA their belief, “that the current lifetime deferral for men who have had sex with other men is medically and scientifically unwarranted” (AABB).