Nope. Not under the current administration. In August 2005, it became clear that politics spoke louder than science, and despite the fact that researchers had found it safe and effective, the FDA blocked the pill’s trip to drugstore shelves. In protest, Dr. Susan Wood, then the Assistant Commissioner for Women’s Health and Director of the FDA Office of Women’s Health – in other words, the top woman at the FDA – resigned. The FDA’s decision, she wrote in her farewell letter, “continues to limit women's access to a product that would reduce unintended pregnancies and reduce abortions [and] is contrary to my core commitment to improving and advancing women's health… I have spent the last 15 years working to ensure that science informs good health policy decisions. I can no longer serve as staff when scientific and clinical evidence, fully evaluated and recommended for approval by the professional staff here, has been overruled.”
The women’s health heroine speaks up at Artserve (1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale) tonight. The discussion starts at 5:30 p.m., and admission costs $25. Call 561-394-3540, or visit www.artserve.org.
Wed., Feb. 15
