The College of American Pathologists (CAP) recognizes that the nation’s blood supply must be both safe and sufficient to meet the needs of patients and ensure people are healthier because of excellence in laboratory medicine, including the blood banks which pathologists lead. The CAP strives for inclusivity and diversity in all our endeavors, andstrongly supports gender-neutral blood donor screening based on individualized risk assessment for HIV infection instead of sexual identity.

In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the blood supply shortage, in April 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—the regulatory body that oversees the U.S. blood supply and blood centers—shortened donor deferral periods from 12 months to 3 months. These measures update previous (December 2015) FDA recommendations for reducing the risk of blood transmission-related infections, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), that precluded men who have sex with men (MSM) from becoming donors. Despite these updates, the U.S. still faces a severe national blood shortage crisis—particularly with O negative and O positive type red blood cells.

More inclusive and more objective blood donor screening may increase both the safety and the availability of the nation’s blood supply.

Blood banks in several European countries and Israel already have instituted gender-neutral blood donor screening measures, and HealthCanada is currently reviewing a similar recommendation from the Canadian Blood Services.

Currently, the FDA and leading blood collection organizations are sponsoring the pilot ADVANCE (Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility) Study to evaluate alternatives to its current deferral policy for MSM to examine if different questions could be used in the donor history questionnaire. Local blood centers are partnering with LGBTQ+ community centers in eight metropolitan cities across the country to help recruit study participants.

Blood donors take great pride in making irreplaceable contributions to the health of their communities. The CAP supports participation in the ADVANCE Study, and the ability of safe and eligible individuals, regardless of sexual identity, to give life-saving blood donations needed every day.

Emily E. Volk, MD, FCAP
President
College of American Pathologists

See Resources for CAP Review Process and Authors

Resources for CAP review process

Statements from:

• ADVANCE Study: ADVANCEstudy.org
• American Medical Association
• American Red Cross News and Resources:
  • Joint news release: redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/press-release/2021/nation-s-largest-blood-centers-conducting-innovative-research.html
  • Study blog post & video: https://redcrosschat.org/2021/12/28/working-together-for-changes-to-blood-donor-eligibility-for-gay-and-bi-men/
• America’s Blood Centers
• Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) News and Resources:
  • France, Greece Move to Allow Blood Donation from MSM (aabb.org)
  • Ireland to Ease Restrictions on Blood Donations from Gay, Bisexual Men (aabb.org)
  • CBS Recommends End to MSM Donor Deferral in Canada (aabb.org)
  • Israel Ends Deferral Period for Some MSM Donors (aabb.org)
• United Kingdom National Health System Blood and Transplant: FAIR steering group – NHS Blood Donation

Authors

Members of the College of American Pathologists’ (CAP) Transfusion, Apheresis, and Cellular Therapy (TACT) Committee: Glenn Ramsey, MD, FCAP, Chair; Monica Pagano, MD, FCAP, Vice-chair; Joanne Becker, MD, FCAP; Julie Cruz, MD, FCAP; Patricia Kopko, MD, FCAP; and Susan Stramer, PhD, MS.