Arizona AG Kris Mayes supports Biden LGBTQ+ blood donation policy update

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined a 22-state effort that supports the Biden administration’s new policy that would make it easier for LGBTQ+ people to donate blood and plasma.

Gay and bisexual men are not allowed to donate blood within three months of their most recent sexual contact, according to the current health standard. However, in January 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration said the policy should be updated to use a risk-based analysis for all blood and plasma donors instead. Adjusting the policy means more donors, more opportunities for lives saved, and less stigma aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, a spokesperson for the attorney general said.

The attorney general issued a statement regarding her position on the updated policy proposal:

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion or some kind of blood product due to surgery, sickle cell anemia, accidents, violence and natural disasters, according to the American Red Cross. In January 2022, the organization declared its first-ever national blood crisis. Should the policy be permanently updated, more than 300,000 pints of blood would be made available to save lives and help those in need.

Other state attorneys general advocating for the change are California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

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