Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it will modify the current policy requiring a lifetime deferral for blood donation from any man who has had sex with another man ("MSM"). A modification from the current blood ban to a 12 month deferral policy will increase the number of eligible donors by over 2 million men.

Based on current rates of donation, 185,800 individuals would likely donate an estimated 317,000 additional pints each year. Our estimates suggest that modifying the current blood donation policy among MSM to a 12 month deferral could be used to help save the lives of over 950,000 people. Additionally, if the current lifetime deferral policy against MSM was eliminated, estimated blood donations would nearly double the figures cited for a 12 month deferral and could be used to help save the lives of over 1.8 million people.

To read more about the impact that modifying the ban can have on the nation’s blood supply, see our latest research brief here: http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/blood-ban-update-sep-2014.pdf