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A directive from the Trump administration, issued on January 31, has placed numerous scientific research papers involving U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientists in jeopardy. The directive requires a review of these papers for compliance with federal communication policies, including the removal of terms like “gender,” “nonbinary,” “transgender,” and “LGBT.”
Impact on Scientific Research
The sudden recall has disrupted several important studies, including a paper on the U.S. response to the mpox outbreak in 2022. The paper had undergone months of peer review and extensive internal evaluation at the CDC before receiving final acceptance. It was in the final page-proof stage when the directive halted its publication.
The directive, aimed at aligning with President Donald Trump’s executive order recognizing only two sexes—male and female—has drawn widespread criticism. Researchers argue that it forces them to deny scientific realities crucial to public health.
Jocalyn Clark and Kamran Abbasi, editors at the British Medical Journal, condemned the move as “sinister and ludicrous.” They emphasized that erasing medically relevant terminology amounts to censorship and dehumanization of marginalized groups.
Challenges Faced by Researchers
Scientists are grappling with the implications of the order:
- Demographic tables that routinely include gender and race data must now be restructured.
- Studies focusing on minority communities, particularly those related to HIV and LGBTQ+ health, are particularly affected.
- CDC authors have offered to remove their names from papers to allow publication without violating the directive.
Dr. John Moore of Weill Cornell Medical College highlighted the complexity of author removal, stating that all contributors must agree in writing before a name can be omitted.
Dr. Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist and director of the Duke Global Health Institute, has collaborated with CDC researchers on HIV prevention trials in Thailand. He expressed concerns that future publications would face challenges due to the content restrictions.
Beyrer noted that nearly three-quarters of new HIV infections in the U.S. are among gay and bisexual men and transgender women. He questioned how HIV surveillance and understanding could proceed without using accurate terminology.
Ethical and Scientific Concerns
The censorship directive has sparked ethical debates within the scientific community. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) issued new guidance, suggesting that editors may honor an author’s request to be removed from a paper under extenuating circumstances.
The recall of CDC research papers and the censorship of scientific terminology represent a significant challenge to public health research and scientific freedom. Researchers and public health experts are calling for a reconsideration of these policies to ensure that scientific communication remains transparent, inclusive, and accurate.
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