Slashing Research, Censoring Scientists, Sacrificing Lives

This is an odd way of making America healthy. In fact, the recent, chaotic actions of the new administration seem destined to do precisely the opposite by slashing research and censoring scientists who labor long and hard to advance medical knowledge. A new letter in Lancet puts it bluntly:

“In the setting of stalling life expectancy and a rising disease burden, the USA cannot afford to save money by spending lives.”

The threat of retaliation from a petty tyrant led some of the authors to remove their names from the letter just before publication. In the present political environment, saying the wrong words or holding the wrong opinions can lead to lost funding, jobs, and residency. Careers in biomedical research are disappearing.

Censoring Medical Publications

When Kevin Hall decided to leave NIH this week, one factor was an attempt to censor the words “health equity.” Leadership at NIH told him to either remove them from a review of ultra-processed foods he co-authored or remove his name from the paper. He chose the latter option. But refusing to talk about a problem does not make it go away.

Now it seems that a controversial federal prosecutor is sending threatening letters to medical journals. Some advocacy groups regard Edward Martin Jr. as a “bully” and a “menace to the First Amendment.” Martin has sent letters to journals characterizing them as “partisans” and made reference “fraud” in their publication decisions. Theodore Iwashyna, a distinguished professor of medicine and public health at Johns Hopkins,  expressed bafflement at this:

“Why would the interim U.S. attorney be qualified to judge scientific viewpoints on the treatment of advanced lung disease and critical illness? How would the public interest be served by interjecting a layer of political review and fear into journal publication decisions?”

Costing Lives

This nonsense will cost lives. Freedom in America to pursue scientific research with rigor and improve human lives has long been the envy of the world. Destroying that excellence will mean the loss of lives that could have been saved, epidemics that spiral out of control, and suffering that is needless.

Wise leaders and thoughtful citizens should not let this happen.

Click here for the letter in Lancet, here, here, and here for further perspective.

Destruction, illustration by Carlos Schwabe for “Les Fleurs du mal” / WikiArt

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April 19, 2025