Donald Trump's administration has reportedly banned the Center for Disease Control from using seven words and phrases, including "science-based" and "transgender," in documents it is working on for next year's budget.
In an astounding move, officials at the CDC were told in a Thursday meeting they were not to use certain words, a policy analyst told The Washington Post.
The other banned words were diversity, entitlement, vulnerable, fetus, and evidence-based, with the CDC staff in the meeting reportedly told that rather than using the phrases evidence-based or science-based, they should instead say: "The "CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes."
Following the news of the banned words, Twitter was awash with comments from people concerned about a ban on the phrases science-based and evidence-based, while others highlighted fears over the words transgender and diversity being banned – with a board member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health describing the move as "quite shocking."
"I'm not sure what the ultimate rationale is for doing this aside from trying to erase certain types of people off the map," Dr. Loren Schechter, who is also the director of the Center for Gender Confirmation surgery at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago, told The Huffington Post.
"I think walking back hard-earned civil rights is something that is, number one, quite shocking to me and, number two, quite concerning. Simply choosing to ignore reality, science, medicine, will not make these things go away and will not really advance anyone's cause or lead to improved health outcomes," he added.
The move also prompted questions about why Trump's administration would want to see fewer uses of science or evidence-based facts in reports.
Sharing the news about the banned words, Planned Parenthood tweeted: "It's clearer than ever: this administration has disdained women's health, LGBTQ people, and science since day one."
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