In memoriam: on the passing of "Evidence-based" and Science-based" discussion
Posted by Sten Westgard, MS
[Warning: politics ahead]
It was with great dismay I saw that the CDC has been instructed that certain words are now forbidden to be mentioned in their budget plans. The forbidden words are “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”
“In some instances, the analysts were given alternative phrases. Instead of “science-based” or “evidence-based,” the suggested phrase is “CDC bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes,” the person said. In other cases, no replacement words were immediately offered.”
This may only be a narrow ban – confined only to their budget plans, which must pass the scrutiny of ever-more-partisan elected officials. But it is a frightening milestone in our democratic experiment.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."
When words become forbidden and banned, reason is not left free. When we ban words, we imperil not only our discourse and our science, but our nation as well.
-----Stay Informed
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