U.S. Charged With Silencing Scientists

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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conference were withdrawn after HHS decided that only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.

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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.

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