The Inner Imperative: the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee
Reproductive Health > the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee
Today, the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee is imperative—at a time when reproductive health issues affecting the human population are complicated and complex. In most cases, such knowledgeable figures--selected by the Commissioner or designee—come from the fields of obstetrics, gynecology, endocrinology, pediatrics, epidemiology or statistics and related specialties (according to fda.gov) to head and sit on the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee—ensuring we are cared for by the agencies, organizations, and other facilities that offer optimum preventative, diagnostic, treatment, and outpatient procedural provisions, as well as information and training.
For example, the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee advices agencies issues, concerns, practices, politics, and procedures involving reproductive health—such as contraceptives, abortion, hormone replacement therapy, in vitro fertilization, and others.
But recently, there has been a hubbub surrounding the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee. First, the Bush administration suggested the plan to select Dr. W. David Hager to head the committee.
Then, it was revealed that Hager, a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist, does not and will not prescribe contraceptives to unmarried women. In addition, Hager has written a book in which he advocates premenstrual suffers use Bible readings and prayer for relief.
Men and women, women’s groups, and women’s organizations nationwide and statewide, began a protest of the appointment of Dr. Hager to the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee, insisting that one who advocates and promotes religion as treatment for medical conditions, who denies unmarried women technological access that all in the United States of America are granted privilege and rights to, and who therefore deprives humans of reliable scientific and medical expertise is an imposition, a barrier, and a danger to women and to women’s health and wellbeing.
The protests to get someone heading the Reproductive Health Drug Advisory Committee who was competent to treat medicine from a scientific and not religio-political base worked. Dr, Hager was denied the chair and was allowed only as an installed committee member instead.