By Trend News Line 2024-05-24 09:04:46.
The federal government in 2020 and 2023 made changes to the regulations regarding the donation of organs and blood, specifically reducing the restrictions on men who have had sex with another man. However, the restrictions on donated tissue, which includes a wide range of body parts such as eyes and ligaments, remain in place according to the FDA. This has led to frustration among advocates, lawmakers, and groups focused on removing barriers to cornea donations in particular, who are calling for the FDA to align the guidelines for tissue donated by gay and bisexual men with those that apply to the rest of the human body.
You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage
Sheryl J. Moore, an advocate who has been vocal about lightening the restrictions, has been campaigning for a change since the death of her 16-year-old son Alexander “AJ” Betts Jr. in 2013. Betts’ internal organs were successfully donated to seven people, but his corneas were rejected due to a single question about his sexual orientation. Moore, along with Dr. Michael Puente Jr. from Colorado, started a campaign called “Legalize Gay Eyes” to raise awareness about the issue.
Dr. Puente, a pediatric ophthalmologist, has highlighted the nonsensical nature of the current donor guidelines, especially given advancements in testing potential donors for HIV. He points out that while a gay man can donate their entire heart for transplant, they are not allowed to donate just the heart valve due to outdated policies set in place 30 years ago to prevent HIV transmission. Advocates argue that these policies are now unnecessary and discriminatory, focusing on specific groups rather than specific behaviors known to heighten HIV risk.
Despite efforts by advocacy groups and lawmakers, the FDA has yet to act on changing the guidelines for tissue donation. Rep. Joe Neguse, along with other Congress members, has called for policies to be based on individualized risk assessments rather than historic bias and prejudice. The FDA, in response, stated that they are continuously reviewing donor screening and testing based on evolving scientific knowledge.
In 2015, the FDA eliminated the “blood ban” which prevented gay and bisexual men from donating blood, replacing it in 2023 with a policy that treats all prospective donors equally, based on individual risk factors. However, the restrictions on tissue donation, particularly corneas, remain stringent for gay and bisexual men, requiring a five-year abstinence period.
You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?
Advocates argue that the risk of HIV transmission through cornea transplants is extremely low, with advanced testing methods able to detect the virus within a narrow window period following infection. They point out that there have been no known cases of HIV transmission through cornea transplants, even when the corneas were donated by individuals who were HIV positive.
The push for changing the guidelines for tissue donation continues, with advocates like Sheryl J. Moore and Dr. Michael Puente Jr. leading the charge. They are calling for the FDA to align the guidelines for tissue donation by gay and bisexual men with those for the rest of the population, based on individual risk assessments and scientific knowledge. The issue remains a point of contention, with advocates striving to remove barriers to cornea donations and ensure that all potential donors are treated equally..
– FDA urged to relax tissue donation restrictions for gay and bisexual men
– FDA urged to relax tissue donation restrictions for gay and bisexual individuals.
