Dowling College and Adelphi University Spearhead Petition To Seek Changes to FDA’s Lifetime Ban of Gay Men from Donating Blood

OAKDALE, NY - Dowling College and Adelphi University have joined with Long Island Association for AIDS Care, Inc. (LIAAC) in seeking changes to the FDA’s lifetime ban of gay men from donating blood.

The joint effort, spearheaded by Dowling College President and former Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney and Dr. Robert A. Scott, President of Adelphi University, has resulted in a petition drive to collect signatures which will be presented to the FDA requesting that the federal agency remove its lifetime ban.  Petition signatures will be collected at upcoming blood drives to be conducted by Long Island Blood Services, and electronically through http://www.dowling.edu/fdapetition/.

The petition requests that the FDA replace the current prohibition with a policy that will allow gay men to donate blood after a twelve-month period has elapsed since their last homosexual contact.  According to Dr. Gail Barouh, President and CEO of LIAAC, “Great advances have been made in HIV testing, and as standard practice all donations are screened for HIV as well as hepatitis, syphilis and other factors.”

Dowling’s President Gaffney stated, “The sufficiency of our available blood supply is a constant concern.  By prohibiting those gay men who are HIV-negative and AIDS-free from donating blood during their entire lifetimes, the FDA ban exacerbates blood shortages we regularly experience.”

Adelphi University’s President Dr. Scott indicated that he is supporting the petition drive because of the recent advancements made in blood screening tests.  “I urge the FDA to reexamine its lifetime ban without delay as a change in policy might help better prepare our region should a disaster occur,” he said.

Dowling College will be holding a blood drive at the college’s Brookhaven Campus on November 6, 2007.  Any questions should be directed to the President’s Office of Dowling College at 631-244-3205.

About Dowling College
Dowling College is an independent, coeducational college that serves more than 6,500 students at its historic Rudolph Campus on the banks of the Connetquot River in Oakdale, NY, and the 105-acre Brookhaven Campus
in eastern Long Island and a business center located near the Nassau-Suffolk border in Melville. Dowling offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees in several disciplines through its four schools: Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Education.

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