Thursday, November 11, 2004 at 3:34 PM Get this out there.
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 eleven 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, gynecology and related specialties, including hormone
therapy, contraception, treatment for infertility, and medical
alternatives to surgical procedures for sterilization and pregnancy
termination.
Dr. Hager, 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 the book Dr.Hager wrote with his
wife, entitled "Stress and the Woman's Body," he suggests that women who
suffer from premenstrual syndrome should seek help from reading the bible
and praying. As an editor and contributing author of "The Reproduction
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.
We are concerned that Dr. Hager's strong religious beliefs may color his
assessment of technologies that are necessary to protect women's lives 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 antiabortion politics. Members of this important panel
should be appointed on the basis of science and medicine, rather than
politics and religion. American women deserve no less. There is
something you can do. Below is a statement to be sent to the White House,
opposing the placement of Hager.
(1) Please copy and paste (DON'T forward) the entire email into a
fresh email; then sign your name below. After you sign, SEND THIS TO EVERY
PERSON YOU KNOW WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT WOMEN'S RIGHTS.
(2) Every 10th person who signs the list (i.e., #10, #20, #30, etc.) -
please forward the entire e-mail to president@whitehouse.gov
...
We oppose the appointment of Dr. W. David Hager to the FDA
Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee. Mixing religion and
medicine is unacceptable in a policy-making position. Using the FDA to
promote a political agenda is inappropriate and seriously threatens
women's health. Members of this important panel should be appointed on the
basis of science and medicine, rather than politics and religion. American
women deserve no less. 1. Susan Tannenbaum ( Owings Mills,Maryland) 2. Susan Levine (Silver
Spring,MD) 3. Audrey Funk (Henderson,NV) 4. Susan Lowe Shlisky (Las
Vegas,NV) 5. Michelle Straub-Wilensky (Los Angeles,CA) 6. Patricia
Phelan(San Francisco,CA) 7. Victoria Einhorn(san anselmo, ca) 8. Brad
Einhorn(Brooklyn,NY) 9. Bethany M acMillan (Brooklyn,NY) 10. Amy Russell
(Louisville,Kentucky) 11. Beverly D. Moore (Louisville,Kentucky) 12.
Connie O. Byrne (Kannapolis,North Carolina) 13. Janet C. Haas
(Charlotte,North Carolina) 14. Heather V rana (Charlotte,NC) 15. Clare M.
Evans (Newport,VA) 16.Kathy Chadwick 17.Jim Chadwick 18.Claire
Grimm Chadwick 19.Lindsay Addison (Naples,FL) 20. Peggy Addison
(Naples,FL) 21. David Addison (Naples,FL) 22. Howard Schumsky
(Orlando,FL) 23. Kristie Born (Orlando,FL) 24. Paul Boyd (Atlantic
Highlands,NJ) 25. Lois Jensen (NYC, NY) 26. Catherine Rubenstein
(Belvedere, CA) 27. Anne Rubenstein (Belvedere, CA) 28. Dirk
Rubenstein (Belvedere, CA) 29. Barbara K. Westover (Oakland, CA) 30.
Sharon Bjornson (Oakland, CA) 31. Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell (Philadelphia, PA)
32. Hana Elwell (Brooklyn,NY) 33. Jen Song (Brooklyn, NY) 34.
Janet Lo (New York,NY) 35. Emily Horowitz (New York, NY) 36. Daniel
Horowitz (New York, NY) 37.Josh Hyman (New York, NY) 38. Mona
Goldsmith (Plainview, NY) 39.Kate Striano (Newtown, CT) 40. Elissa Gellis
( Newtown, CT) 41. Diane Thompson (Sandy Hook, CT) 42. LInda Parsloe
(Sandy Hook, CT) 43. Judy Juracek (Darien,
CT) 44. Deborah Meisels (City Island, NY) 45. P. Briggs Saroch
(Greenfield, MA) 46. Diane Fisher-Katz (Northampton, MA) 47. Kirsten
Cirincione (Florence, MA) 48. Jane Lynch (Florence, MA) 49. Kathleen
Kennedy (Santa Barbara, CA) 50. Leslie Palmer (San Antonio, TX) 51. Julie
Toland, Middletown, RI 52. Josie Merck,( Cos Cob, CT) 53.
Elizabeth O'Neill (Boston, MA) 54. Joan O'Neill (Traverse City, MI) 55.
Barbara Becker (Concord, CA) 56. Ken Bruckmeier (Oakland,CA) 57. Margret
Elson (Oakland, CA) 58, Marsha Sherman (Portland, OR) 59.
Marinell Eva (Santa Rosa, CA) 60. Sharon Oman (Petaluma, CA) 61.
Adrienne Davis (Santa Rosa, CA) 62. Barbara Carlson (Santa Rosa, CA) 63.
Karen Grace-Kaho (Sacramento , CA) 64. Mary Beth Love (San
Francisco, CA) 65. Ruth Finnerty (Oakland, CA) 66. Rosalie Holtz 67. Kay
Corlett (Albany,
CA) 68. Connie Barnes (Oakley, CA) 69. Donna Ventura (Brentwood, CA) 70.
Nancy Herman (Lafayette,CA) 71. Shirley Chang (Berkeley, CA) 72. Nola
Chavez (El Cerrito, CA) 73. Elspeth Wells (Clayton, CA) 74.
Phyllis Berger (Los Angeles, CA) 75. Joan Barnett (Boston, Ma.) 76. Karen
Danaher(Los Angeles,CA) 77. Susan Rice (New York, NY) 78. Alan Wagner (
New York, NY) 79. Jane Altman (New York, NY) 80. Sheila
Friedman (Yardley, PA) 81. Susan Cooper (Brookfield, CT) 82. Elissa Fisher
(Pleasantville, NY) 83. Angela Usobiaga (Pleasantville, NY) 84. Katherine
Procopio Goodman (Katonah, NY) 85. Jessica White (Dobbs
Ferry,
NY) 86. Danielle Bottari (New York,NY) 87. Jennifer Getschmann (New York,
NY) 88. Sung Pak (New York, NY) 89. Sharon Pak (New York, NY) 90. Pamela
Gold(Jersey City, NJ) 91. Mindy Drossner (Lafayette Hill, PA) 92.
Stephanie Choder (Gladwyne, PA) 93. Robin Stern (Lafayette Hill, PA) 94.
Emily Newman (Syracuse, NY) 95. Mark Stern (syracuse, NY) 96. Robin Fink
(Philadelphia, PA 19102) 97. Greg Rosen (New York, NY) 98, Durelle
Schacter (San MAteo, CA) 99,rachel stewart (san
anselmo ca) 100 Joyce Goldstein ( San Francisco) 101 Kate Slate (New York
city) 102 Mardee Regan (Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY) 103 Brad Mehldau
(Newburgh, NY) 104 Augusta Quirk (Summerland,CA) 105. Carolyn Furlong (St.
Babs,CA) 106. Alexandra Morath (Santa Barbara, CA) 107. Talia Camarena
(New York,
NY) 108. Stuart Baldwin (New York, NY) 109. Julie Clarke (Chapel Hill, NC)
110. Vivian Chen (Chapel Hill, NC) 111.Sheryl Trager (New York, NY) 112.
Debra Carbonaro (New York, NY) 113. Bowie Maksrivorawa (New York, NY) 114.
Dawn Wetzel (Memphis, TN) 115. Posey Hedges (Memphis, TN) 116. Jim Spake
(Memphis, TN) 117. Charlie Wood (Memphis, TN) 118. Kathy Kosins (
Birmingham, Michigan) 119. Dan Pliskow (Royal Oak, Mi.) 120. Susan B.
Anderson (Pacifica, CA) 121. Laurence D. Anderson
(Pacifica,CA) 122. Irene Spang (San Francisco, CA) 123. John L. Spang (San
Francisco, CA) 124. Katherine Albrecht (San Francisco, CA) 125. Suzane
Kavert (San Francisco, CA) 126. Chris Kavert (San Francisco, CA) 127.
Holly Milne (San Francisco, CA) 128. Emma Tresemer ( San
Francisco, CA) 129. Jennifer Black (Boulder, CO) 130. Jesse Ritch
(Boulder, CO) 131. Lily Fessenden (Searsmont, ME) 132. Terrence Keeney
(East Montpelier, VT) 133. Penelope Stout-Hammar (Milton, VT) 134.
Susannah Hammar (Medford, MA) 135. Leslie Stephenson (Riverdale, NY) 136.
Marisa Mann (Woodmere, NY) 137. Stacey Ganina (Riverdale, NY) 138. Alex
Kehl (New York, NY) 139. Elissa Leonard (Freeport, ME) 140. Maria Dewees
(Waltham, MA) 141. Bennet Leon (Sudbury, MA) 142. Maria Jenness (Newport,
VT) 145. Allie Leib (Ridgefield, CT) 146. Mathy
Mezey (Ardsley, NY) 147. Ariel Samuelson (Newton, MA) 148. Lucy Joffe
(Newton, MA) 149. Jake Joffe (Newotn, MA) 150. Robert L. Klein
(Newton, MA)
151. Kenneth Leeser (Newton, MA) 152. Melinda Brown (Newton, MA) 153.
Kathryn Bender 154. Stephen Bober 155. Melanie Lukens-Bober (Sudbury, MA)
156. Tina Lane (New York, NY), 157. Erika Lane (Westchester, NY) 158.
Jennifer Prosky
(Bellmore, NY)159. Blair Lieber (Westchester, NY) 160. Gertrude McAllister (Nesconset, NY), David Troczynski (Clinton Township, MI)
—tomdomaso |
