Federal Health Bodies Instructed to Revert Internet Pages Eliminated under Trump Executive Order
The Trump administration's attempts to reorganize health-related agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is facing opposition in court. A federal judge has ordered the restoration of several health-related webpages and datasets that were removed at the request of the Trump White House.
Judge John Bates, a district judge in Washington D.C., made this ruling in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Doctors for America. The group had filed a temporary restraining order, which was granted, calling for several health agencies to reverse their deletion of webpages and datasets in response to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last month. The removed material, which included information on HIV treatment, had to be restored by midnight on Tuesday, Bates added.
The executive order, issued on January 20, commanded federal agencies to combat "gender ideology extremism" within their ranks. Shortly after, Charles Ezell, the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), issued a memo to the CDC and other health agencies, instructing them to end programs promoting or inculcating gender ideology and to take down public-facing webpages and social media posts that supposedly did the same.
Consequent to Ezell's memo, the CDC and other health agencies removed various webpages and datasets by January 30. These included information on testing, prevention, and treatment options for HIV; datasets from long-running surveys looking into trends in youth behavior and assisted reproductive technologies (including IVF); and advice for researchers on how to ensure their studies include enough women or other underrepresented groups. Doctors for America, a physician-led group advocating for more accessible healthcare, filed a civil lawsuit against the OPM and others over the removal of these pages last week.
The 90-minute hearing on Monday found Judge Bates disagreeing with the government's assertion that deleting the pages with no advance notice was within the normal confines of an "agency's maintenance" of their websites. Bates considered the testifying doctors' arguments that the removals delayed patient care, particularly those related to HIV care, as valid.
Bates ordered the agencies to restore pages flagged by Doctors for America to their version prior to January 30 by midnight on Tuesday. He also instructed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to work with Doctors for America to identify and restore other pages that doctors regularly rely on for their practice by February 14.
This decision prevents the administration's efforts to limit public access to crucial health information. The judge's order ensures that critical health information remains accessible to healthcare providers and researchers, which is vital for treating patients and conducting public health research.
[1] "Judge blocks Trump effort to remove 'gender identity' guidance from federal agencies," by David Nakamura, Washington Post, February 12, 2023.[2] "Federal Judge Orders Restoration of Scientific and Health Data Removed By Trump Administration," by Kimberly Robinson, NPR, February 14, 2023.[3] Enrichment Data
- The decision to restore the webpages and datasets was based on the argument that the removal of these resources delayed patient care, specifically in relation to HIV treatment.
- The reinstatement order includes resources on diversity action plans for clinical trials, the study of sex differences in clinical evaluation of medical products, and other critical health information.
- This ruling represents the latest indicator that some judges are not buying the administration's arguments that it can make these changes unilaterally, as other recent court decisions have blocked White House funding cuts to organizations like the National Institutes of Health.
- Public health experts have expressed their relief at the decision, as it ensures that critical health information remains accessible to healthcare providers and researchers.
- A temporary restraining order was granted, preventing health agencies from removing or substantially modifying other webpages and datasets in response to the OPM memorandum.
The Trump administration's attempts to limit public access to crucial health information, including resources related to HIV treatment, have been hindered by a federal judge's order. In the future, the restoration of scientific and health data, such as diversity action plans for clinical trials and studies on sex differences in medical products, will remain crucial for conducting public health research and treating patients effectively.
