Iowa woman calls for lift of FDA donation ban

Des Moines, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa mom is speaking out against the Food and Drug Administration's ban on donations of some tissue from gay men after her son died and some of his organs were rejected.

The Des Moines Register reports that Sheryl Moore of Pleasant Hill was told that some of her 16-year-old son's tissues wouldn't be donated because his sexual history was unclear.

Moore says the Iowa Donor Network accepted his heart, lungs and kidneys. But they wouldn't take other tissues, including bone, tendons and eyes.

Moore's son, A.J. Betts, committed suicide last July. She says the refusal of his tissues floored her because she thinks the federal safeguards are archaic.

FDA regulations restrict certain tissue donations from men who have had sexual contact with other men within the past five years.

___

Information from: The Des Moines Register.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – August 18, 2014 @ 9:20am