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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Gay US blood donor ban 'should end' | Gay US blood donor ban 'should end' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Gay and bisexual men should no longer be banned from donating blood in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended. | Gay and bisexual men should no longer be banned from donating blood in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended. |
| That ban has been in place since the HIV/Aids epidemic in the mid-1980s. | That ban has been in place since the HIV/Aids epidemic in the mid-1980s. |
| Men who have had sex with other men in the previous 12 months will still be banned, the FDA said in a statement. | Men who have had sex with other men in the previous 12 months will still be banned, the FDA said in a statement. |
| The move brings the US into line with other countries such as the UK, Australia and Spain, which have also lifted bans in recent years. | The move brings the US into line with other countries such as the UK, Australia and Spain, which have also lifted bans in recent years. |
| New guidelines will be drafted in early 2015 and then a consultation period will follow. | |
| Currently the ban excludes men who have had sex with other men at any time since 1977. | |
| Campaigners have long argued the ban discriminates against gay and bisexual men and reinforces negative stereotypes. | |
| And due to advances in HIV testing, the American Medical Association and other groups say the lifetime ban is no longer supported by science. | |
| "Over the past several years, in collaboration with other government agencies, the FDA has carefully examined and considered the available scientific evidence relevant to its blood donor deferral policy," the statement said. | |
| It added: "The agency will take the necessary steps to recommend a change to the blood donor deferral period for men who have sex with men from indefinite deferral to one year since the last sexual contact." |