Overreaction to Bush Administration Complaint Prompted Block on 'Abortion' Searches

[arcos]

Source: Wired

University administrators of the world's largest scientific database on reproductive health blocked the word "abortion" as a search term after receiving a complaint from the Bush administration over two abortion-related articles listed in the database.

"The items in question had to do with abortion advocacy -- the two items dealing with abortion were removed following this inquiry, and the administrators made a decision to restrict abortion as a search term," said Tim Parsons, a spokesman for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.

The blocking of the keyword "is a decision that the dean does not support in any way," he added, and the administrators are unblocking the search for the term right now.

"I could not disagree more strongly with this decision, and I have directed that the Popline administrators restore 'abortion' as a search term immediately," said Michael J. Klag, the school's dean in a statement issued on Friday. "I will also launch an inquiry to determine why this change occurred. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of knowledge and not its restriction."

Read more: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/04/administrators.html

[XanaDUer]

1. This POPLINE issue is

burning up librarians' listservs.

:mad:

[FloridaJudy]

2. Dunderheads

"Spontaneous abortion" is the correct medical term for a miscarriage. These assholes are holding up medical research in order to appease team Bu$h's fundie supporters. I can see why the two articles were removed, if indeed, they were purely advocative and had nothing to do with research, but blocking the word "abortion"? Is anyone associated with Bush's administration remotely competent?