Seven banned words at the CDC: A rationale


Hypothetically speaking, the rationale for the CDC being barred from using the following 7 words/terms may be less nefarious than it appears on the surface:

Evidence-based and science-based: Whose evidence? What science? Perhaps the request is that the science and evidence must be specific and must be good science. In other words, avoiding junk-science or evidence produced by the plague of predatory journals in existence today.

Fetus: The problem here may be that the legal definition of fetus is disputed? The ACLU discusses the terminology of this slippery slope here:

https://www.aclu.org/other/whats-wrong-fetal-rights

Transgender: A quick review of legal articles reveals transgender issues are “legal heaven.” In other words, the laws are evolving and may differ among states. Perhaps the word is to be avoided for legal reasons until all this is ironed out.

Diversity, Entitlement, Vulnerable: These words mean different things to different groups. The language may just be too non-specific. As we sort out so many social issues at this time in history, it may just be a case of “covering your ass.”

Gretchen Mullen

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