Scientists Threatened with ?Ideological Shackles? - November 3, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 22

November 3, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 22:

Published: 11/03/2003

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Scientists Threatened with ?Ideological Shackles?

In early October, congressional Republicans sent a list to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identifying more than 150 scientists with grants to conduct research on HIV and sexual behavior. NIH responded by contacting these researchers, apparently to put the agency in better position to defend the grants.

Soon after this began, some of these researchers alerted Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) -- who has created a web site on political influence over science -- and expressed fear of losing their funding.

“This atmosphere of intimidation is unacceptable,” Waxman wrote in a letter to Tommy Thompson, secretary of Health and Human Services. “These researchers, who are tackling serious and intractable health problems, have done nothing wrong … Contacting and alarming the researchers sets a terrible precedent.”

What’s worse, officials within HHS appear to have been involved in compiling the list, according to Waxman, since some of the information included is not available to the public. Furthermore, a number of researchers are listed without any corresponding grants but with the notation “nothing found on HHS search.” Nonetheless, the Traditional Values Coalition, which represents tens of thousands of churches nationwide, asserts that it was the author of the list.

John Burklow, an NIH spokesperson, told the Baltimore Sun that the agency asked congressional staffers for a list of about 10 questionable grants mentioned at an Oct. 2 hearing at which NIH Director Elias Zerhouni testified. However, NIH was mistakenly sent the list of 150, according to Burklow, prompting the agency to contact the researchers.

While some researchers have reported that calls were merely informational, most have found them unsettling. One scientist on the list, Liana Clark of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the Associated Press, “I just keep thinking that this is a bad nightmare and I am actually going to wake up from all this.”

If HHS did indeed help produce the list, it represents a deeply troubling sign. “Imposing ideological shackles on this research would be a serious public health mistake,” wrote Waxman, who requests an explanation from Thompson by Nov. 7.