WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s reported move to ban words, including “fetus,” “diversity,” and “transgender,” in budget-related documents triggered outrage, astonishment, and calls for the decision to be reversed Saturday.
The Washington Post reported Friday that policy analysts were told at a meeting of the forbidden terms, which one analyst said also included “science-based,” “evidence-based,” “vulnerable,” and “entitlement.”
Faced with a growing backlash, the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, termed the reported ban on use of the words a “complete mischaracterization.”
“Among the words forbidden to be used in @CDCgov budget documents are ‘evidence-based’ and ‘science-based.’ Here’s a word that’s still allowed: Ridiculous,” the American Association for the Advancement of Science wrote on its Twitter account.
