US Health Agencies Sued over Removal of Health Data Websites

via Reuters:

Feb 4 (Reuters) - A medical advocacy group on Tuesday sued the main U.S. health agencies over the sudden removal of websites containing public health information in response to an executive order by President Donald Trump targeting what his administration deemed to be "gender ideology extremism."

Doctors for America said in the lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C. federal court, that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed "numerous" longstanding websites since the order.

Those include a page on behavioral health risks among youth, which the lawsuit says is important for understanding health challenges faced by young people, including bullying and vaping; pages with data on the prevalence of HIV and associated risky behaviors; and a page on getting tested for HIV, which the lawsuit called "an important communication tool for physicians."

The liberal-leaning group also said in its lawsuit that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has removed pages recommending the inclusion of more women and underrepresented groups in clinical trials.

"The removal of this information deprives researchers of access to information that is necessary for treating patients, for developing clinical studies that produce results that accurately reflect the effects treatments will have in clinical practice, and for developing practices and policies that protect the health of vulnerable populations and the country as a whole," the lawsuit said.

Note: I'm on the Board of Directors of Doctors for America, but my own work helping archive the CDC website contents/data was done independently of DFA.