Free speech activists are condemning a report that the Trump administration has banned Centers for Disease Control officials from including certain words in official documentation.
Members of the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action stood by the State House's menorah with signs listing the words Monday to protest what they called an attack on free speech.
"We want to make sure we are shining a light, especially on Hanukkah, on their unwillingness to admit that these words are important to our country, to our ability to have science-based research and that we will not stand for it," Rachael Dubinsky, JALSA's communications director, told WGBH News.
The Washington Post reported last week that the Trump Administration has banned CDC officials from using seven terms: "vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based" - in budget documents.
A Trump administration officials called the report a "complete mischaracterization" and said the CDC will continue to use the best scientific evidence available when making funding decisions.
