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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2005-08-30

Wilful Ignorance

The WaPo leads off this morning with an attack at the FDA vis-a-vis the morning after pill:

. . . As recently as last March, the FDA commissioner, Lester M. Crawford, implied as much at his confirmation hearing: "The science part is generally done," he said when asked about the approval process for Plan B. "We're just now down to what the label will look like." He also promised two senators, Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), that a decision would be made. According to some at the agency, drafts of the approval letter were under discussion.

Then, late last Friday afternoon, Mr. Crawford announced that the agency would delay approval once again. Citing "novel regulatory issues" and "profound" policy questions, he said that the new application required further study and public comment.

With this statement, Mr. Crawford not only broke his word to two senators, but he also put the agency at risk of losing its credibility. In recent months critics have accused the FDA -- which is required by law to make decisions exclusively on scientific and legal grounds -- of falling victim to outside political agendas.

The Post then goes on to cite the arguments of critics who, basically, say the Religious Right has leaned too hard and the FDA and the FDA has caved in.

Never mind that only this month we've learned that Health officials are investigating whether there are any links in the cases of four California women who have died since 2003 of massive infection after taking the so-called abortion pill, RU-486, and a follow-up drug.

Is it possible--just possible--that the FDA may be taking a little closer look at at abortofacients to see about the possibility of complications? Just possible? Note, of course that the Post says nothing about THAT in their editorial.

Likewise, is it also just possible that it is actually the Left that has politicized this whole debate to the point where the science of abortion gets ignored and women end up paying with their lives? Just possible?
Posted by: Michael / 8/30/2005 06:20:00 AM

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