Blood donation, deferral, and discrimination: FDA donor deferral policy for men who have sex with men

The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB
Charlene Galarneau

Abstract

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy prohibits blood donation from men who have had sex with men (MSM) even one time since 1977. Growing moral criticism claims that this policy is discriminatory, a claim rejected by the FDA. An overview of U.S. blood donation, recent donor deferral policy, and the conventional ethical debate introduce the need for a different approach to analyzing discrimination claims. I draw on an institutional understanding of injustice to discern and describe five features of the MSM policy and its FDA context that contribute to its discriminatory effect. I note significant similarities in the 1980s policy of deferring Haitians, suggesting an historical pattern of discrimination in FDA deferral policy. Finally, I point to changes needed to move toward a nondiscriminatory deferral policy.

Citations

Feb 5, 2010·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Christopher Fisher, Toby Schonfeld
Feb 5, 2010·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Craig M Klugman
Feb 5, 2010·The American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB·Charlene Galarneau
May 13, 2017·Experimental Psychology·Nadine FleischhutGerd Gigerenzer

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