Federal Judge Criticizes HHS for AI-Generated Citations in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Policy

U.S. The judge described the references as a “hallmark of AI-generated citations,” noting that among seven cited articles, two were entirely fabricated and three could not be located in the journals to which they were attributed. Cooper concluded that the proposed changes to federal teen-pregnancy-prevention programs were “likely arbitrary and capricious” because the government failed to provide adequate evidence.

Raw Story

The contested policy stems from the Trump administration’s position that congressionally appropriated funds for teen-pregnancy-prevention should avoid encouraging sexual activity and instead focus on abstinence and “body-literacy” programming. In pursuing this approach, HHS cut tens of millions of dollars in grants to existing programs and sought to redirect resources toward the new framework.

Raw Story

The injunction follows a lawsuit filed in July by two Minnesota counties, the state of Washington, a sex-education advocacy nonprofit, and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which serves Iowa, Nebraska, and surrounding states. The plaintiffs argue that the agency’s reliance on nonexistent scientific evidence violates statutory requirements for evidence-based grant allocations.

Raw Story

The current ruling is not the first instance in which Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s department has been linked to AI-generated falsehoods. Last year, a separate investigation revealed that citations in the White House’s “MAHA Report” were also AI-generated, producing fabricated references and garbled studies.

Raw Story

Judge Cooper’s opinion underscores the judiciary’s concern that agencies must substantiate policy changes with verifiable research. HHS has not issued a public response to the judge’s findings, and no statements from Secretary Kennedy have been reported in the available sources.

Raw Story