Researchers Sue NIH Over Keyword Censorship Amid Women's Health Order
Researchers including Johns Hopkins demographer Suzanne Bell are suing the NIH and other federal agencies, alleging unconstitutional censorship through a list of 235 banned keywords, including "gender," "pregnant individual" and "advancing diversity," used to flag grants deemed out of step with administration priorities. Bell says NIH flagged her grant studying post-Dobbs abortion bans' effects on infant mortality and fertility, and told her renewal would likely require stripping references to abortion and Dobbs. The lawsuit comes as Trump signed an executive order creating a women's health division within NIH and a new task force, with details and funding levels still undefined and a 90-day window to establish the division. Policy analysts note the order follows administration-backed cuts of at least $3 billion to research benefiting women and girls and question its timing ahead of the midterms.