Amid a blood shortage ignited by the coronavirus pandemic, over 500 health professionals signed an open letter Thursday calling on the Food and Drug Administration to eliminate “the scientifically outdated ban” on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, a policy that traces its roots to the early days of the AIDS crisis. "As you well know, we are on the precipice of a critical nationwide shortage of blood products," the signatories wrote. "This severe shortage could be alleviated if