Some U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientists have been instructed to avoid using certain words like “woman,” “disabled,” and “elderly” in external communications, as part of a list of banned terms that has caused confusion within the agency. The list, titled “Prohibited words,” includes over two dozen terms and is circulating in official work chats, leading to concerns about the scientists' ability to perform their jobs effectively. The directive to avoid specific words is believed to be in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order against “gender ideology,” although a White House spokesman clarified that most of the words on the list do not need to be removed from communications. The restrictions on speech, coupled with recent employee firings, are expected to slow down review processes for medical devices and hinder scientists' ability to question device safety before release to the public.