Scientists Now Need OK to Consult WHO

[Guest guest]

What?! Isn't science, and especially an organization allegedly

dedicated to human health and welfare supposed to be free of

political influence... Well most of us are aware they have not been

acting in our interest, now they are just brazen enough to notify us

that scientists not under their control, need not apply...

Other comments?

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Scientists Now Need OK to Consult WHO

By MARK SHERMAN

Associated Press Writer

Fri Jun 25, 5:05 PM ET

 

http://news./news?

tmpl=story & u=/ap/20040625/ap_on_sc/government_scientists_2

 

 

WASHINGTON - Government scientists must now be cleared by a Bush

political appointee before they can lend their expertise to the World

Health Organization, a change that a Democratic lawmaker said fits a

pattern of politicizing science.

 

William Steiger, a special assistant to Health and Human Services

Secretary Tommy Thompson, said in an April letter that WHO can no

longer pick specific government experts to serve as consultants.

 

The practice, which has been in place during several administrations,

" has not always resulted in the most appropriate selections, " Steiger

said.

 

Instead, Steiger's Office of Global Health Affairs now will choose

" an appropriate expert who can best serve both of our organizations, "

he said. HHS experts made available also must advocate U.S.

government policies, Steiger said. He came to Washington with

Thompson, Wisconsin's governor until President Bush appointed him to

lead HHS in 2001.

 

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., a frequent administration critic, said

Friday it was the latest in a series of actions that in his view

contradict the open search for scientific and medical evidence. " It

appears to me that the administration is tightening their controls

over their professionals and their scientists ... to favor its

right-wing constituents, " Waxman said.

 

He asked Thompson in a letter to rescind the policy, which Waxman

said " politicizes the process of providing the expert advice of U.S.

scientists to the international community. "

 

Bill Pierce, Thompson's spokesman, said Waxman has it wrong. " It's in

no way politicized, " Pierce said. " This is a policy to make sure the

WHO has the very best the federal government has to offer when it

comes to our experts. "

 

Senior officials also sometimes did not know who on their staffs were

on loan to WHO and other organizations, Pierce said.

 

He said the policy has existed for about 20 years, but acknowledged

it had not been enforced before. Waxman, however, called it

unprecedented.

 

The California lawmaker also has complained the administration is

subverting science to politics on a range of issues, including

limiting federal funding for stem-cell research, cracking down on

groups that promote condom use to combat AIDS and favoring programs

that advocate abstinence as the only way to prevent the disease.

 

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