IAPAC Joins Federal Lawsuit to Restore Erased
U.S. Federal Health Agency HIV Information
Washington, DC (May 20, 2025) – The International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) has joined a federal lawsuit aimed at restoring access to critical public health information, including related to HIV, that has been systematically erased under recent actions by the Trump Administration. Washington State Medical Association et al. v. Kennedy et al. was filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The case challenges the deletion of thousands of webpages from federal health agency websites, including those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The removed content includes essential information about LGBTQ+ health, gender and reproductive rights, clinical trial data, Mpox and other vaccine guidance, and HIV prevention resources.
“IAPAC champions evidence-based, data-informed HIV responses and we reject ideologically driven efforts that undermine public health and erase marginalized communities,” said Dr. José M. Zuniga, President/CEO of IAPAC, which represents more than 8,300 clinicians in the United States. “This lawsuit is not just about restoring deleted web content, including in relation to HIV – it is about defending the right of our clinician-members and their patients to access truthful, lifesaving and -enhancing health information.”
A recent survey found that 80% of IAPAC U.S. clinician-member respondents reported their ability to deliver HIV services has been affected by the removal of HIV information, including clinical guidance, from federal public health agency websites, notably the CDC, FDA, HRSA, and NIH. Additionally, 95%, 91%, and 82% of survey respondents said they categorized as “extreme” the impact that the removal of clinical guidance will have on their ability to deliver quality HIV services to transgender individuals, men who have sex with men, and migrants, respectively.
IAPAC is joined as a plaintiff by eight other public health and civil society organizations deeply concerned by what they characterize as a pattern of ideological interference in federal science and public health transparency. The other plaintiffs include AcademyHealth, Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, Fast-Track Cities Institute, National LGBTQI+ Cancer Network, Vermont Medical Society, Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Washington State Medical Association, and Washington State Nurses Association.
“The actions taken to erase federal information on LGBTQ+ health and HIV prevention are not only unjust – they are antithetical to human rights, medicine, and public health,” Zuniga added. “IAPAC is proud to stand with other likeminded institutions in demanding accountability from the U.S. Government and ensuring that unfettered, uncensored access to evidence-based public health information is not treated as either optional or expendable.”
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking one primary form of relief, notably a demand for the immediate restoration of all deleted or suppressed public health informational content that was previously accessible on federal health websites managed by agencies, including CDC, FDA, HRSA, and NIH. These include resources related to LGBTQ+ health, HIV prevention, reproductive and gender health, clinical trials data, and vaccine guidance – information that patients, healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers rely on to make informed decisions.
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Representing 30,000 members, IAPAC is the largest association of clinicians and allied health professionals working to end the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis, as well as eliminating HBV and HCV, by 2030. IAPAC is also a core technical partner to the Fast-Track Cities network. For more information about IAPAC, please visit: https://www.iapac.org/
Media Contact:
Dashiell Q. Sears
Senior Director, Public Policy, IAPAC
dsears@iapac.org
www.iapac.org
