Story highlights FDA recommends gay and bisexual men wait a year before donating blood

Previous guidance banned gay men from donating for life

HRC calls move a "step in the right direction," but not enough

(CNN) The Food and Drug Administration has lifted its lifetime ban on accepting blood donations from men who have had sex with men.

"The FDA is changing its recommendation that men who have sex with men (MSM) be indefinitely deferred . . . to 12 months since the last sexual contact with another man," the administration announced Monday.

This final guidance from the FDA is the culmination of several years of scientific research as well as consultation with external advisory committees and other government agencies.

"We have taken great care to ensure this policy revision is backed by sound science and continues to protect our blood supply," FDA Acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, M.D. said.

The lifetime ban of blood donations from gay and bisexual men was implemented by the FDA in 1983 at the start of the AIDS crisis, when little was known about the spread of the disease.

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