FDA seeks input on gay blood ban

By Robert King

Published July 26, 2016 9:21pm ET

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FDA seeks input on gay blood ban — After the Orlando, Fla., shooting at a gay nightclub, lawmakers called for the FDA to reverse the policy, which was put in place because health officials were concerned about the spread of HIV and AIDS in the 1980s. (AP Photo)

Under pressure from lawmakers, the Food and Drug Administration wants to hear from the public on its controversial prohibition on sexually active gay men donating blood.

The agency issued a request for public comments on Tuesday about controversial guidelines issued in December about blood donations. Last year, the agency reversed its decades-old ban on gay men donating blood, but only if they have been abstinent for a year.

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