Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Wednesday, December 18, 2002
Congressional Democrats charge that politics are trumping science.
They also point to a fact sheet produced by the National Cancer Institute concerning the link between abortion and breast cancer Until this summer, it said that women who had abortions face no increased risk of breast cancer; now it says the evidence is not clear.
"We are extremely concerned about these alterations and deletions of important scientific information," Rep. Henry Waxman and 13 other Democrats said in a letter Wednesday to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.
"Simply put, information that used to be based on science is being systematically removed from the public when it conflicts with the administration's political agenda."
HHS officials say the revisions are consistent with the science. They deny any political interference.
On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site, the condom fact sheet had said that refraining from sex was the best way to prevent transmission of HIV. The old version went on to say: "But for those who have sexual intercourse, latex condoms are highly effective when used consistently and correctly."
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