AUTHOR’S NOTE OF DISAGREEMENT WITH RETRACTION
“Questioning the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis: 30 Years of Dissent” synthesizes the arguments and evidence previously published in the professional/scientific literature, authored by several reputable scholars questioning the premise that HIV causes AIDS. The central thesis in this review asserts: “far from being condemned to extinction, competing explanations for, and thorough questioning of the mainstream premise persist” 30 years after the original HIV-causes-AIDS hypothesis was proposed. After conducting a thorough investigation upon the article’s publication in 2014, reviewers and editors alike admitted to the review’s “utility … as a historical summary of dissenting theories of AIDS” (Frontiers Retraction Statement). Despite this assessment and the concomitant re-classifying of the article as an “Opinion”, editors now have concluded their efforts were both “misguided and ineffectual” (Frontiers Retraction Statement) and are retracting the article. Although the Official Statement from the editors accurately reflects the issues, I respectfully disagree with the decision to retract the article for the following reasons: (a) The article is a historic review of arguments and data previously published in both scientific journals and widely circulated books. In itself, the article lacks the power to constitute a “potential public health risk” (Frontiers Retraction Statement), given it is merely presenting already-available information. (b) Attempts to regulate access to information appear contrary to the spirit driving Open Access publishing. (c) Debates, grounded in evidence published in the professional/scientific literature, constitute the very essence of science and knowledge development. Retraction of information that elicits or contributes to such debates represents the antithesis of the scientific method.
Read the article that is being retracted for political reasons:
https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/154821/Goodson%20Manuscript%20Reformatted%20%20-%2010.29.2019.pdf?sequence=7&isAllowed=y
The Retraction:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00334/full
