A group of 60 leading scientists released a report on Wednesday criticizing the Bush Administration for distorting and suppressing scientific analyses, such as information on condoms, from federal agencies when the scientific data goes against the policies of the Administration. The Union of Concerned Scientists issued a statement saying “when scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals, the administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions,” reports the LA Times.
According to Kaiser, the report says that the Administration put pressure on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end a study that found that comprehensive sex education programs are effective. In addition, the report states that CDC replaced an online fact sheet on how to use condoms properly with a warning that emphasized the rate of condom failures in its section on HIV/AIDS.
In addition, the report states that the White House took nine months to review an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study documenting that eight percent of women at childbearing age had mercury levels in their blood higher than what was deemed safe for a fetus. The EPA later leaked this information to the press, reports the LA Times. The Union of Concerned Scientists is calling for congressional hearings to examine this issue further.
