The Obama administration yesterday dropped its appeal of a judge’s order to follow the science and allow consumers full over the counter access to the emergency contraception known as Plan B. I never thought I’ve be invoking Kenny Rogers in a blog post, but somehow it now seems to fit: you gotta know when to hold ‘em. Know when to fold ‘em.The Obama administration should have folded long ago; for reasons unknown, it chose to stay in the game. In the process, it earned a serious black eye. Read More
Appeals Court Rules Emergency Contraception Should Become Available Over The Counter
June 7th, 2013
I’m at a conference this week but wanted to pass along some pretty big news on the Plan B emergency contraception saga, which keeps getting more and more strange. Read More
A Roundup of Editorials Criticizing President Obama’s Plan B Emergency Contraception Decision
May 8th, 2013
On Tuesday, District Court Judge Edward Korman spoke incredibly strongly against the Obama administration’s decision to appeal his order that would require the Food and Drug Administration to use science to determine whether over the counter access to emergency contraception is safe for women of all ages. Read More
Duped Again on Emergency Contraception
May 1st, 2013
I feel like Charlie Brown.
A few weeks ago, I celebrated as a federal judge ordered the FDA to follow the medical evidence and make the emergency contraception known as “Plan B” available over the counter without restrictions. Under both President Obama and his predecessor, the decision had been thoroughly politicized. I thought that the judge’s ruling would provide the Obama administration with political cover. Surely they would respect the decision. Read More
New Executive Order Could Limit Ability of U.S. Science Agencies to Protect the Public
May 2nd, 2012
It is ironic that 50 years after the drug thalidomide was found to have caused serious harm to tens of thousands of babies in Europe and Great Britain, but not the U.S., both the Administration and Congress are backing efforts that could unravel the safety net and erode the power of American agencies to protect public health and safety. Read More
Tulips, Tyranny…and Gratitude
April 5th, 2012
It’s springtime in Washington, my favorite season in our nation’s capitol. The cherry blossoms have faded, but the bright red tulips are standing erect like soldiers in Lafayette Park, across from the White House. The streets are clogged with tourists and school groups, taking pictures, looking at the monuments, a bit dazzled by Washington’s beauty. Read More






