The Decay of Women's Rights

The separation of Church and State???

President Bush has announced his plan to select Dr. W. David Hager to head up the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. The committee has not met for more than two years, during which time its charter lapsed. As a result, the Bush Administration is tasked with filling all 11 positions with new members. This position does not require Congressional approval.

The FDA's Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee makes crucial decisions on matters relating to drugs used in the practice of obstetrics, gynocology, and related specialties, including hormone therapy, contraception, treatment for infertility, and medical alternatives to surgical procedures for sterilization and pregnancy termination.

Dr. Hager is the author of "As Jesus Cared for Women: Restoring Women Then and Now." The book blends biblical accounts of Christ healing women with case studies from Hager's practice. His views of reproductive health care are far outside the mainstream for reproductive technology. Dr. Hager is a practicing OB/GYN who describes himself as "pro-life" and refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women.

In a book Dr. Hager wrote with his wife, entitled "Stress and the Woman's Body", he suggests that women who suffer from premenstral syndrome should seek help from reading the Bible and praying. As an editor and contributing author of "The Reproductive Revolution: A Christian Appraisal of Sexuality Reproductive Technologies and the Family", Dr. Hager appears to have endorsed the medically inaccurate assertion that the common birth control pill is an abortifacient.

I am concerned that Dr. Hager's strong religious beliefs may color his assessment of technologies that are necessary to protect women's lives or to preserve and promote women's health. Hager's track record of using religious beliefs to guide his medical decision making makes him a dangerous and inappropriate candidate to serve as chair of this committee. Critical drug public policy and research must not be held hostage by anti-abortion politics. Members of this important panel should be appointed on basis of science and medicine, rather than politics and religion. American Women deserve no less.

I did not write this, it was emailed to my wife and I. The email also asked that it be forwarded to every person we knew concerned for women's rights, with every 25th person asked to forward it to president@whitehouse.gov .

I am not a citizen of the United States, I am Canadian. I cannot vote, so I would not expect my voice to be listened to by dub-ya. But my wife is an American woman, as is my mother-in-law, as are many many of my friends. So while my signature on this petition would not legally mean much, I believe I can do more by posting this here.

Please cut and paste the text into an email. Send it to everyone you know that is concerned with women's health and women's rights. Send it to your congressman, your governor, your mayors and city councilors, but most importantly, complain to your President.

Please.