Anger, despair, and defiance from a voice within the US federal research system (BMJ, 12 February 2025)

Summary

In this anonymous opinion piece for the British Medical Journal, a researcher from within the US federal system describes how they are being instructed to delete critical data and advised that grants could be pulled if specific words are mentioned (advocacy, biased, gender, LGBT, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, diversity, inclusion, marginalised, and underserved).

"This is digital genocide: populations of vulnerable people are being deleted. Data on transgender men and women are being deleted. We are also losing data on maternal mortality. These populations will suffer now and for decades to come. The US will be unable to understand mortality and morbidity rates to tackle health inequalities because the data are forbidden."

In summary he says that through the anger, shock, and sadness, they must not despair. They must figure out how they can work within this greatly changed system to keep America healthy. How they can care for all Americans in the face of digital genocide.