US politics

The blogger known as D r i f t g l a s s on fundie interference in the science of the morning-after pill by the religious-bigot-controlled Food and Drug Administration :

Congratulations again, Moderates! I hope all of you that voted this Christopath junta into power are very happy.

And Mrs. Moderate Republican, remember that when that man of yours get his Wahabi Wang anywhere near you, he thinks of you as his property. His chattle. A Petri dish for breeding his whelplings…so why are you OK with that?

And little Moderate Republican Jimmy and Susie, remember that Daddy wants you raised up full of fear and ignorance and unable to compete in the 21st century…because Jesus wants you that way.

Well, he wants you reared that way, Jimmy. Unfortunately Susie, Daddy doesn’t think of you as fully human at all, but I’m sure he’ll arrange for a nice “marriage” for you to a kindly owner who will never beat you on a whim, but only beat you when you disobey and forget your place.

After all, if this is not the future Hubby and Daddy dreams of, why in the fuck does he keep voting for it?

Why so angry, Drifty?

Well, this from the FDA, on their decision making process regarding Plan B, the post-coital contraceptive that prevents the implantation of fertilised eggs, might be part of it:

“The FDA?s drug center, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research or CDER, completed its review of this application, as amended, and has concluded that the available scientific data are sufficient to support the safe use of Plan B as an over the counter product, but only for women who are 17 years of age and older.

What we are saying today is that the Agency is unable at this time to reach a decision on the approvability of the application because of these unresolved regulatory and policy issues that relate to the application we were asked to evaluate.

[…]

We are beginning a process that will address the regulatory questions today, but we believe we can only decide these issues in an open, public process.

Through this process, all interested parties can weigh in on the questions of whether a drug may be both prescription and over the counter based on uses by different subpopulations and whether the prescription and over the counter versions of the drug may be marketed in a single package.

[…]

Today I am making the commitment that we will work with our stakeholders to make sure that this process is expeditious and thorough.

So who are these stakeholders they’re so desperate to run US policy past for approval? Step forward(yet again) the fundies:

In August, the FDA said it was considering the over-the-counter sale of Plan B to women over 17. Then, in what critics say is a response to pressure from the Bush administration, the agency said it would launch a period of “public comment” on the drug that could delay its approval indefinitely.

The announcement infuriated activists such as Cynthia Pearson, executive director of the Washington-based National Women’s Health Network, who called it “denial couched in the bureaucratic language of delay.”

Before making the announcement, FDA officials alleged that girls under 16 would engage in riskier sex if they could obtain get the drug. Studies, however, show no increase in pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases when women have access to emergency contraception.

A similar struggle surrounds a newly-developed vaccine for cervical cancer. Pharmaceutical company Merck, based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., plans to ask the FDA to approve the vaccine for sale before the end of the year, according to the Washington Post.

But some conservative groups argue its release will condone premarital sex. In a retort to them, Congresswoman Lois Capps, D-Calif., circulated a letter to her colleagues this week urging them to overlook “ideological agendas” while reviewing public input about the vaccine.

The battle for access to Plan B goes beyond state laws and the FDA and extends to policymaking by pharmacies and hospitals.

Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the U.S., does not carry emergency contraception in any state, even those with collaborative practice agreements. Chains including Rite-Aid and Winn-Dixie allow their pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception.

More

We can add Target to that list now too. John Aravosis at AmericaBlog has the whole story:

“Thursday, October 20, 2005

Target now saying “screw you” if their pharmacist doesn’t want to fill your prescription because “you’re a sinner”
by John in DC – 10/20/2005 12:28:00 PM

Well, Target has given its answer to customers who are concerned that Target pharmacists are refusing to fill prescriptions simply because they think you’re a sinner. Target’s answer? Go Cheney yourself.

An AMERICAblog reader just sent me this email they received from Target. I’ve spoken with Planned Parenthood and the email is legit. Target’s response to PPFA and to its customers is that they stand by their pharmacists – if the pharmacist thinks you’re a sinner they don’t have to fill your prescription and can send you elsewhere.

From: Target.Response Target.Response@target.com

Date: Oct 20, 2005
7:18 AM

Subject: Filling Prescriptions at Target

Dear Target Guest,

Target places a high priority on our role as a community pharmacy and our obligation to meet the needs of the patients we serve. We expect all our team members, including our pharmacists, to provide respectful service to our guests, particularly when it comes to their health care needs.

Like many other retailers, Target has a policy that ensures a guest’s
prescription for emergency contraception is filled, whether at Target or at a different pharmacy, in a timely and respectful manner. This policy meets the health care needs of our guests while respecting the diversity of our team members.

Your thoughts help us learn more about what our guests expect, so I’ll be
sure to share your feedback with our pharmacy executives.

Thanks for taking the time to share your questions, thoughts and comments. I hope we’ll see you again soon at Target.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Hanson, Target Executive Offices

Planned Parenthood has had other communications with Target. Target’s policy is that the customer can go to hell if their pharmacist thinks you’re a sinner. Target will let their pharmacist turn you away so that YOU have to go find another pharmacy, rather than their pharmacist getting another frigging job.”

So who are these fundies who think they have thr ight to take control of womens’ uteri? Step up David Hager, religious nutter extraordinaire and Bush appointee:

Late last October Dr. W. David Hager, a prominent obstetrician-gynecologist and Bush Administration appointee to the Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), took to the pulpit as the featured speaker at a morning service. He stood in the campus chapel at Asbury College, a small evangelical Christian school nestled among picturesque horse farms in the small town of Wilmore in Kentucky’s bluegrass region. Hager is an Asburian nabob; his elderly father is a past president of the college, and Hager himself currently sits on his alma mater’s board of trustees. Even the school’s administrative building, Hager Hall, bears the family name.

That day, a mostly friendly audience of 1,500 students and faculty packed into the seats in front of him. With the autumn sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows, Hager opened his Bible to the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel and looked out into the audience. “I want to share with you some information about how…God has called me to stand in the gap,” he declared. “Not only for others, but regarding ethical and moral issues in our country.”

For Hager, those moral and ethical issues all appear to revolve around sex: In both his medical practice and his advisory role at the FDA, his ardent evangelical piety anchors his staunch opposition to emergency contraception, abortion and premarital sex. Through his six books–which include such titles as Stress and the Woman’s Body and As Jesus Cared for Women, self-help tomes that interweave syrupy Christian spirituality with paternalistic advice on women’s health and relationships–he has established himself as a leading conservative Christian voice on women’s health and sexuality.

(My emphasis)

Lots more on Hager here.

And for those who are thinking “Oh, those loony Yanks” it’s not just them. We in Britain have our own fundy nutters (not to mention Opus Dei in government, and yes, I mean you, Ruth Kelly):

Pharmacist refuses morning-after-pill over religious beliefs
29 Nov 2004

A UK pharmacist has refused to sell the morning-after-pill to a woman customer, citing his Catholic beliefs.

The woman, a 24-year-old mother of two, said she was furious and had been forced to attend an NHS walk-in-clinic to obtain the pill.

“Everyone is entitled to an opinion but I don’t want someone making a decision like this for me,” she told the Daily Mirror. “It is available to buy so I had the right to buy it. It’s irresponsible of the pharmacy not to have someone there who is able to serve it.”

Kerrie Gooch reportedly plans to sue if she falls pregnant after the condom she and her long-term partner, aged 22, were using split. Ms Gooch went to Lloyds Pharmacy in Abbey Meads, Swindon, where the pharmacist refused to dispense the pill because of his views on contraception. She then had to attend an NHS clinic as there was no other pharmacist on hand at that time to dispense the pill.

Lloyds, which has 1,363 outlets nationwide, has defended its employee, pointing out that the industry’s code of conduct states that he can refuse to dispense on religious grounds as long as he suggests an alternative pharmacist.

Andy Murdock, Lloyds’ pharmacy director, said: “He objected on religious grounds, which he is fully within his rights to do. Another member of staff, and a supervisor, had lengthy discussions with Ms Gooch and partner. They were given advice as to alternative sources.”

Please contact Lloyds Pharmacies and tell them what you think about their policy of allowing unproven superstitions to determine women’s health. What’s next? Jainists can refuse to dispense any medications because they might have been tested on animals? That would be an equally valid religious position. Or are Lloyds in the business of deciding whose religious views have validity and whose don’t, now?

If you wish to write a letter use the address below:

Customer Services Officer

LLoyds Pharmacy Limited,

Sapphire Court,

Walsgrave Triangle,
Coventry,

CV2 2TX

Lloyds is owned by Unichem, who also own Moss’ pharmacies. They’re also considering taking over Boots the Chemist and they will then have a massive monopoly over prescriptions and OTC medications in the UK, including contraception.

Feel free to contact them too: write to their Head Offices at the following addresses:

UniChem Ltd,

UniChem House,

Cox Lane,

Chessington,

Surrey.

KT9 1SN

and

Alliance Pharmacies,

Fern House, 53-55 High St

Feltham, Middlesex

TW13 1HU

0208 890 9333

Or, you can call or fax on the following numbers:

Tel. 020 8391 2323,
Fax. 020 8974 1707

You can contact Boots The Chemist here or write to:

Boots Group PLC
1 Thane Road
Nottingham NG90 1BS

The main telephone number for all areas of Boots is: 0115 950 6111

Boots central Customer Service department can be contacted on: 0845 070 80 90