Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and his aides have reversed decisions by the state public health commissioners or "heavily influenced the adoption of policies consistent with the governor's conservative social views" four times in the past nine months, the Boston Globe reports. According to the Globe, Romney has altered decisions by officials in the state Department of Public Health on abstinence education, stem cell research and a program that would allow nonprescription sales of hypodermic needles. In addition, some former and current DPH officials say the Romney administration has "exerted increasingly stringent control over the agency behind the scenes," the Globe reports. According to a DPH official, Romney aides must review any policy changes or educational publications "perceived as having political consequences," a level of oversight that was not present in the past several administrations, the Globe reports. Paul Cote, commissioner of public health, said he estimates he has directly consulted with Romney about DPH issues about two dozens times in the past year, adding that he confers with Romney when "my gut tells me that my boss would want to know." In one case in which Cote did not consult the governor, the agency reversed its decision after the administration objected to the agency's position. In that instance, DPH provided testimony to the state Legislature in support of authorizing nonprescription sales of hypodermic needles, which public health officials said would reduce the spread of infectious diseases among injection drug users. Cote said, "I changed my mind, or let's say we modified the regulation, based on the feedback from the governor's office as well as the Office of Health and Human Services." Romney spokesperson Eric Fehrnstrom said, "Most of the issues handled by [DPH] are nonpolitical and don't require the governor's involvement. But there are some matters where a political decision has to be made, and it's going to be the governor's view that carries the day" (Smith, Boston Globe, 9/10).

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