Wednesday, April 26, 2006

All the best cults are sex-based

As you may know, Plan B is a form of contraception. It is not an abortive. Nevertheless, the FDA is desperate to block its over-the-counter sale, to "protect" young women from this additional route to avoiding unwanted pregnancy. Which has the additional effect of reducing the number of abortions, but don't tell them that. Logic and consistency only makes the heads hurt of those whose brains have been addled by the holy spirit.

What's their excuse this time? Well, as I seem to be saying far too often lately, I am absolutely not making this up. Via Daily Kos:
According to Newsday, the Center for Reproductive Rights will grill FDA brass about the "wacky" worries of deputy operations commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock:

Simon Heller, one of the attorneys, plans to quiz Woodcock on a March 23, 2004, staff memo suggesting she was concerned Plan B might lead to teenage promiscuity.

The FDA is only supposed to consider the safety and efficacy of drugs.

In the memo released by the FDA, Dr. Curtis Rosebraugh, an agency medical officer, wrote: "As an example, she [Woodcock] stated that we could not anticipate, or prevent extreme promiscuous behaviors such as the medication taking on an 'urban legend' status that would lead adolescents to form sex-based cults centered around the use of Plan B."

And that's a woman speaking.

1 comment:

Julia said...

Woodcock. What an unfortunate name for someone in that position.