Let Gay Men Donate Blood, Senators Say

BOSTON -- Gay men should be allowed to donate blood, and laws banning them from doing so are discriminatory and outdated, Sen. John Kerry and several of his Senate colleagues said, according to WCVB-TV in Boston.

"Not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban,” Kerry said. "A law that was once considered medically justified is today simply outdated and needs to end."

Kerry was one of 16 U.S. Senators who asked the Food and Drug Administration in a letter to lift the ban. It was put in place in 1983, at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis and before modern screening and advanced testing methods for HIV were developed.

Experts say current screening and testing have reduced the risk of tainted blood entering the blood supply undetected to virtually zero.

The American Red Cross, America's Blood Centers and AABB all support repealing the ban, saying the law is “medically and scientifically unwarranted.” The American Medical Association also supports modifying the ban.

In 2008, the Senate passed legislation Kerry authored to lift the statutory HIV travel and immigration ban as part of President Barack Obama's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief. The ban was officially lifted in October 2009.