SINCE coming to power five years ago, President George W. Bush’s administration has come under fire for letting political ideology dictate its choice of scientific advisers, and the advice that it chooses to make public.
Now the tide may be turning, thanks to a law that makes it illegal within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to disseminate misleading scientific advice, or to question nominees to advisory panels about their political affiliation and voting history. The DHHS is responsible for such controversial issues as stem cell research and reproductive health.
“It will be illegal to question nominees to advisory panels on their political…
