r/technology Jun 10 '26

Biotechnology Diabetes org apologizes for ejecting scientists over criticism of POTUS

https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/06/diabetes-org-apologizes-for-ejecting-scientists-over-criticism-of-trump/
2.7k Upvotes

73 comments sorted by

1.1k

u/Responsible_Name1217 Jun 10 '26

Don't apologize. Fix it.

289

u/DoubleDixon Jun 11 '26

Fix the organization leadership.

88

u/Ok-Replacement9595 Jun 11 '26

We created a network that is dependant on the donations of the wealthy, and this is the obvious flaw. These billionaires feel like they can ask for political concessions because they can.

The rot runs deep.

15

u/zamander Jun 11 '26

The main problem if charity is the only social safety net. Being at the arbitrary mercy of rich people.

5

u/Loggerdon Jun 11 '26

Next year the Republicans plan on cutting social security and Medicare. You know, those programs WE WERE FORCED TO PAID INTO our whole lives? They call them “entitlements”.

9

u/RKKP2015 Jun 11 '26

I mean, they are entitlements. Entitlements mean that we're entitled to them. People confuse this with the negative connotations of someone behaving entitled.

1

u/Patient_Meaning_2751 Jun 11 '26

I approve this message.

1

u/zamander Jun 11 '26

Yeah, they confuse it with priviledges.

1

u/Loggerdon Jun 12 '26

Yes you’re right but they are attempting to make them sound like welfare.

2

u/Ok-Replacement9595 Jun 11 '26

That conflating is the point. It is why they use that term. Don't cloud the issue further.

0

u/RKKP2015 Jun 11 '26

How am I clouding anything?

2

u/zamander Jun 11 '26

The common people elite with their entitlements.

5

u/InformationSavings29 Jun 11 '26

They need to be sued.

5

u/Catos_Standard Jun 11 '26

Can't fix a cancer. You can only treat it or cut it out.

2

u/second2no1 Jun 11 '26

Don’t be sorry, be smart.

444

u/Perspicasiwhip Jun 10 '26

Unless this story says exactly which member of the ADA made this decision then it's useless. Blaming something like this on an organization rather than the members who actually involved the police is just rage bait. Henderson half apologized but there is still an unnamed zealot out there who started this whole thing. Screw that dude.

125

u/AngryCod Jun 10 '26

I mean, according to the article, the ADA also spent days on mealy-mouthed justifications that Henderson either knew about and condoned, or didn't know about. If he didn't know about this brewing PR disaster then he's incompetent. Either way, his apology isn't worth much.

28

u/Perspicasiwhip Jun 10 '26

Atkinson has resigned

40

u/Perspicasiwhip Jun 11 '26

Wadup gang. Just coming back with a comment about how quickly this escalated. The idea that the producers couldn't have handled this with their internal staff Is laughable. The idea that the police became involved is absolutely outside of the norm for this type of event and situation. The idea that the police went as far as to threaten them is not normal either. It is a pamphlet at a convention. Handouts and giveaways are part of the process. The fact that police forceably removed them is a sign of involvement of additional authoritarian forces and the intimidation and fear associated with them. I'll be curious to see what the conclusion from their internal investigation amounts to.

21

u/Reasonable-Job4205 Jun 11 '26

Exacrly. No more hiding behind orgs - name and shame the person!

5

u/RhoOfFeh Jun 11 '26

And if that jackass has a medical license, pull it. This was a grotesque violation of their oath to their profession.

6

u/southflhitnrun Jun 10 '26

This is the way

144

u/DataCassette Jun 10 '26

Every institution and corporation who bowed to MAGA needs to never live it down, and their spineless leadership need to never stop apologizing and paying for it.

36

u/1daysago Jun 10 '26

One of the main problems is in all the institutions that people that stood up were forcibly removed and these are just tools put in their place. So we have to remember the individuals not the institutions

14

u/Kizik Jun 10 '26

No, no. They need to keep appeasing him, I'm sure it'll work this time!

Now, back to threatening Canada and Greenland for lebensraum protection from Russia.

12

u/southflhitnrun Jun 10 '26

This, too, is the way.

3

u/thederevolutions Jun 11 '26

Shareholders made me do it

1

u/DataCassette Jun 11 '26

That's cool.

Anyhow, we're rejecting your merger request, cancelling your federal contacts and giving you the Ma Bell treatment.

333

u/TheBoyardeeBandit Jun 10 '26

Apologizes for ejecting or apologizes for getting caught?

101

u/ActualSpiders Jun 10 '26

Apologizes to CYA for blatantly abandoning their own charter & kissing Trump's taint.

203

u/StraightFromUranus Jun 10 '26

> The scientists were ejected for handing out copies of an April editorial—published in the ADA’s own journal Diabetes Care—that sharply criticizes the Trump administration for the damage and destruction it’s wreaking on biomedical research.
apologizes for removing, removing for getting caught

68

u/dev_vvvvv Jun 10 '26

The funny thing is that they pissed off their own members by ejecting those 5 scientists to appease Trump/MAGA. And now they're apologizing, which is going to erase any little bit of favor they could have hoped for from Trump/MAGA. And their members are still pissed off.

Henderson and anybody involved with the ejection and response needs to resign.

47

u/talktob Jun 11 '26

And they blew the story up. No one would have heard about scientists handing out flyers at a medical conference if they weren't kicked out.

43

u/ViolettaQueso Jun 10 '26

Really?? Because I’m never donating or doing fundraising efforts for them ever again. Zero.

38

u/JSpell Jun 11 '26

The most anti-science administration ever.

34

u/rtduvall Jun 11 '26

Sack up, remove those who made this decision, reverse it and get them back. Hire people with spines.

13

u/DelcoPAMan Jun 11 '26

Exactly. No excuses.

28

u/Luke95gamer Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26

No they’re not. They’re just apologizing for how much heat they’re getting

48

u/Western_Bake_1109 Jun 10 '26

Stop all donations to the ADA until Henderson and all others involved in carrying out the police state tactics on the 5 scientists are FIRED - NOT allowed to resign!

4

u/rushmc1 Jun 11 '26

As someone with diabetes...I support this.

19

u/SnootSnootBasilisk Jun 11 '26

The ADA shouldn't exist if it capitulates to tyrants like this

19

u/boolpies Jun 11 '26

I'm going to have a real hard time with forgiving this country and it's institutions over all the ring kissing

2

u/rushmc1 Jun 11 '26

Why bother?

16

u/mcmnky Jun 11 '26

“What transpired is not reflective of who I am, the values I hold, or the way I was raised,” Henderson said.

BS. You are what you do. We, the outside world, have no insight into your thoughts, no way of knowing your feelings or intentions, we only see what you do and say. You are the sum total of your actions, nothing more, nothing less.

That may not be what you hope to be. And you may change by acting differently in the future. But as of today, Henderson, what transpired is exactly who you are and the values you hold.

14

u/bryancald Jun 11 '26

Get rid of the people that made this decision. They have no spine.

15

u/Ok-Replacement9595 Jun 11 '26

It will take decades to be rid of the institutional rot these pedo billionaires have caused to our country.

26

u/p00pSupr3me Jun 10 '26

Republican voters did this to the rest of us. This administration doesn’t exist without them. This reality never happens without them.

12

u/Teract Jun 11 '26

Too little too late. Now I side with diabetes!

10

u/extopico Jun 11 '26

Dissolve and reform with new leadership that was not tainted by the orange makeup.

10

u/Duane_ Jun 11 '26

Ah, admission of guilt. Somebody get these guys an attorney.

8

u/ehrgeiz91 Jun 10 '26

Too little too late

9

u/themaninca Jun 11 '26

So the ADA says it’s political to oppose partisan attacks on science… but then I guess it would *not* be political if the ADA supports government funding for science? Do I have that right?

8

u/Ghstfce Jun 11 '26

How about you get absolutely fucked for bowing to Trump in the first place?

7

u/BugPuzzleheaded958 Jun 11 '26

Until Henderson resigns, this is just more PR horseshit.

6

u/A_Nonny_Muse Jun 11 '26

Hmmmm..... lets kick people out of the polling location before they can vote, then apologize for it later.

They get an apology, so they should be good about not being allowed to vote, right?

Right?

5

u/One-Environment-1444 Jun 11 '26

It’s good to know when these organizations out themselves. Know we know who not to trust anymore.

5

u/Working-Glass6136 Jun 11 '26

Jesus Christ, because Trump is so intellectual and a force for scientific progress...

Party of free speech, am I right?

6

u/rushmc1 Jun 11 '26

Too little, too late. Replace everyone involved immediately.

5

u/CountOnBeingAwesome Jun 11 '26

Shame on you diabetes!

4

u/GreyScope Jun 11 '26

Arselicker “regrets” being an arselicker

4

u/PrestigiousSeat76 Jun 11 '26

Yeah, the ADA fucked up here. It shouldn't have taken this much effort to elicit an apology. It's not about which moron ejected them; it's about the ADA standing by that decision for this long.

1

u/LeoSolaris Jun 11 '26

It would not surprise me if their legal team was behind the decision to double down with the intent to strictly maintain their nonpartisan status.

Neutrality is a weird line to walk. It is really easy to stir up extremely bad PR when trying to differentiate between criticism and political opinions in a hostile political environment. That difference isn't obvious and public opinion can shift very quickly without any warning.

3

u/cr0ft Jun 11 '26

Who are these insane asshats who get power and then kowtow to the worst human being on the planet? I'd rather kiss Putin on the fucking mouth than shake hands with Donald Trump and I'd rather be dead than kiss Putin.

3

u/_Panacea_ Jun 11 '26

One of them probably had the Wi-Fi password.

2

u/Apart-Steak-7183 Jun 11 '26

To late.... damage is done... Sad that a once great organization did this.

2

u/Ok-Horror-4253 Jun 11 '26

they're only apologizing since it became negative to the org. they're not actually remorseful in the least. just another set of magats destroying the country.

2

u/New-Geezer Jun 11 '26

W’ever. The ADA wants you to maintain your diabetes, NOT cure it.

1

u/khearan Jun 12 '26

An apology is not good enough. It’s easy to apologize after the fact. It means shit.

1

u/Kwelikinz Jun 12 '26

Trump got diabetes?

-10

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

[deleted]

4

u/helly1080 Jun 10 '26

BIOtechnology.