FDA blood donor changes allowing more to donate; former Scotland resident speaks out

CHICAGO (WLS) -- After decades of restrictions, new guidelines are opening doors for thousands of people to give the gift of life, for the very first time.

Groundbreaking eligibility changes in 2023 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration now allow even more people to give blood.

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The FDA is not just increasing the blood supply, it's also addressing decades of exclusion rooted in outdated science.

Organization leaders say it's a step forward for public health and inclusivity.

"I've given blood one time," Angus Macaskill said.

Macaskill recently gave blood for the very first time, even though he's wanted to for years.

"I am originally from Scotland," Macaskill said. "So, shortly after I moved here, I looked into what I need to do to donate blood. I just think it was an easy thing to do. And then, sadly, turns out, because I lived in the UK during the years of the BSE mad cow disease era, I was ineligible."

Back in the 1980s and 90s, the FDA banned people who lived in certain European countries from donating blood because of the disease.

"So, that kind of, it sucks when you want to do something that doesn't necessarily cost you anything," Macaskill said.

But, advances in blood screening and disease monitoring allowed the FDA to do away with the ban in 2023. Now, Macaskill is doubling down on his desire to donate.

"I think we have a civic responsibility and duty to one another," Macaskill said.

The FDA also lifted restrictions that often singled out members of the LGBTQ+ community in 2023: a policy rooted in outdated fears from the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

"We want to increase the donor pool; that is a huge segment of the United States population," said Kwamin Wallace, emerging markets manager for The American Red Cross.

New policies now welcome donors based on individual behavior, rather than broad categories.

"We're no longer requiring questions, such as gender orientation, sexual orientation. So, that's going to open up, and we're becoming a more inclusive environment," Wallace said.

And the message from Macaskill is simple.

"So, if you felt the longest time that you have been excluded as an outsider and the rules have changed, any kind of pride or any kind of self-doubt. Worry should really be dissipated, and should just step into a clinic, or an event and donate blood," Macaskill said.

Find out more about the ABC7 Great Chicago Blood Drive here.