How many reasons do you need?

Every few weeks I receive an email opposing Bush's plan to appoint Dr. David Hager to the FDA Advisory Committee, with a petition attached to sign and forward the President. And although I'm delighted so many people are opposed to Dr. Hager's placement, I feel it necessary to point out: he's already there. He got the job. (Not the chair position, however, thank his God.) For anyone who is unfamiliar with Dr. Hager, this excerpt of a statement made by Kim Gandy, president of NOW, may help to explain their (and my) outrage:

Dr. Hager is vehemently anti-abortion rights. He is on record against emergency contraception. In a Time magazine article, sources familiar with Dr. Hager's private practice say he refuses to prescribe contraceptives to unwed women. He has spoken out against the use of birth control pills and condoms outside of marriage. Hager is a member of the Physicians Resource Council, part of the radical right group Focus on the Family*. And he has written books and articles encouraging women to turn to prayer and scripture to help heal ailments such as premenstrual syndrome, postpartum depression and eating disorders.

Whether or not the above statement is completely accurate, the truth remains he is on record in support of a biblical, Christian approach to women's health (as he outlines in his book As Jesus Cared for Women), is unabashed about having a Christian agenda, and is therefore clearly incapable of making an unbiased decision as to which drugs and treatments should be made available to the public. The man is a threat women in the extreme.

The issue of his appointment may be moot, however the reality of who appointed him and why is not. Outrage is in order here.

I'm not the biggest Hillary fan, but something she said on the news a few nights ago has been stuck in my head ever since. When asked who she supported in the upcoming election, she answered that she was sorry to have this position, but she fell into the Anyone But Bush camp. When asked why, she answered, "Because I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to recognize our own country after four more years of George Bush."

*Focus on the Family is also quite vocal in their opposition to homosexuals, and most recently, gay marriage. Their position --a diabolically brilliant catch 22-- is that gays and lesbians should not be allowed to marry because it is against God and would bring about "the utter destruction of the family"... all the while claiming their only Biblical argument against homosexuals is that gays and lesbians engage in pre-marital sex. Read this article if you'd like to understand their position in full, and then marvel in your strange impulse to go chew glass. [ed note: Maud, if you're reading this DO NOT click on that link. I'm not kidding.]

Posted by Antigeist at March 26, 2004 12:24 PM