Judge orders federal health websites restored
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore scores of health agency webpages and datasets that went dark to comply with executive orders on diversity, equity and inclusion and gender identity.
The big picture: District Court Judge John Bates granted a request from Doctors for America for a temporary restraining order, saying the physicians' group showed "substantial likelihood of success" on its claims that Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration acted arbitrarily and capriciously in removing the webpages.
The group said the removed content helps guide practitioners, is essential to public health research and is key to preventing disease outbreaks.
Catch up quick: Thousands of webpages containing federal health guidelines and data went dark late last month. Some soon reappeared without clarity on what had been changed or removed — and with disclaimers noting that the pages could be further modified.
Among the affected sites was CDC's website for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which hosts vaccine recommendations for kids and adults.
Websites tracking issues including HIV prevention and transgender care were also taken down.
The CDC said that all changes to HHS websites were in accordance with executive orders calling for an end to federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs and declaring the government will only recognize two sexes, male and female.
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