Re: U.S. Charged With Silencing Scientists

[Guest guest]

-

That makes me really angry. Slowly but surely our democracy is

disappearing.

Kathy

-- In , Rogene S <saxony01@...> wrote:

>

> U.S. Charged With Silencing Scientists

>

>

> http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/481837?src=mp

>

>

> WASHINGTON (Reuters) Jun 25 - The U.S. government is

> making it harder for scientists to speak to their

> global colleagues and restricting who can attend an

> upcoming major AIDS conference, a congressman charged

> on Thursday.

>

> Rep. Henry Waxman said he has a letter showing that

> the Health and Human Services Department has imposed

> new limits on who may speak to the World Health

> Organization.

>

> Under the new policy, WHO must ask HHS for permission

> to speak to scientists and must allow HHS to choose

> who will respond.

>

> " This policy is unprecedented. For the first time

> political appointees will routinely be able to keep

> the top experts in their field from responding to WHO

> requests for guidance on international health issues, "

> the California Democrat wrote in a letter to HHS

> Secretary Tommy .

>

> " This is a raw attempt to exert political control over

> scientists and scientific evidence in the area of

> international health, " Waxman wrote.

>

> " Under the new policy the administration will be able

> to refuse to provide any experts whenever it wishes to

> stall international progress on controversial topics. "

>

> An HHS spokesman was not immediately available for

> comment.

>

> Waxman also complained that HHS had cut back a list of

> scientists planning to attend the International AIDS

> Society conference in Bangkok, Thailand, next month.

> The conference is considered the premier meeting for

> AIDS experts.

>

> Waxman said that 40 presentations scheduled for the

> conference were withdrawn after HHS decided that only

> 50 U.S. scientists could attend.

>

> " The scientific community was outraged by this

> pullback, " he wrote.

>

> " I ask you to rescind this ill-advised policy until it

> can be adequately reviewed and justified, " Waxman

> wrote of the restrictions on WHO requests.

>

> He also urged to review his decision on the

> Bangkok conference.

>

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~

>

> Many of us who speak out on the breast implant issue

> ... scientists and activists have smear campaigns and

> other ways thrown at us to

> attempt to silence us.

>

> www.BreastImplantAwareness.org

>