Dallas City Wire

WASHINGTON – On May 11, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) celebrated the FDA's decision to end the outdated and discriminatory time-based deferral for gay and bisexual men seeking to donate blood. Updated guidance would screen all potential donors through individual donor assessment, a stringent screening process that is part of a multi-step process designed to uphold the safety of the blood supply.

"With our country in the middle of a nationwide blood shortage, it makes no sense at all to discriminate against healthy donors based on outdated, discriminatory restrictions against the LGBTQ community. I am so glad that our FDA has finally recognized this and standardized our blood donation screening process for all potential donors," said Rep. Crockett. "Today's news is a victory for public health and against bigotry. Every donation counts!"

Following donation, all blood undergoes roughly a dozen tests to scan for the presence of infectious diseases, including HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis. These multiple layers of safety ensure donated blood remains safe for the millions of individuals who rely on blood transfusions each year.

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Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett represents portions of Dallas and Tarrant Counties, with the cities of Dallas, Grand Prairie, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Duncanville, Glenn Heights, Hutchins, Wilmer, Arlington, Ovilla, and Seagoville.

Original source can be found here.