U.S. Rep. Quigley: FDA Should Allow Gay Men To Give Blood If They Want To

U.S. Rep. Quigley: FDA Should Allow Gay Men To Give Blood If They Want To

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Congressman Mike Quigley of Chicago is calling out discriminatory rules preventing gay men from donating blood. Following the attack on a nightclub in Orlando, dozens of gay men who wanted to give blood were turned away by donor banks. 

Quigley says this practice needs to stop because there’s no scientific reason for it. 

The Democrat is urging the Food and Drug Administration to change its policy. Earlier this year, the FDA modified its lifetime ban prohibiting gay men from donating blood to a one-year deferral. But only if the donor has not had sex for a year.