Bush Appointment in serious need of some opposition

Subject: Important to take a stand against appointment of David Hager

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 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 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 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.

If you agree that this guy is bad news, send an email to [email]president@whitehouse.gov[/email]

If this is true (I haven't had a chance to look at any news yet today), this is *bad* news.

I hope that if things swing to far one way, it will swing the majority of the people back the other way towards the middle. All I can really hope for.

I don't want to rain on your parade but this email is a bit old.

David Hager was appointed to this committee in December of 2002 and reappointed to another one-year term earlier this year. His current term will end on June 30, 2005.

You can still email and protest his reappointment for next year or his current position, but you've been living with this guy for about two years now.

More information can be found here.
http://www.fda.gov/cder/audiences/acspage/reproductiveRoster.htm

and here
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/hager.htm

I thought the guy sounded insanely familiar.

Party Pooper