How surprising. The GAO report is here (pdf). William Saleton sums it up pretty simply:
A government investigation says the FDA bent its rules to block over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill. The GAO report indicates 1) senior officials decided to reject such sales long before their scientific assessment was finished; 2) in so doing, they overruled the agency’s internal and external science advisers on an over-the-counter sales question for the first time in 10 years; and 3) they justified the rejection by invoking an age distinction they had ignored in previous cases.
But nah, they aren’t playing politics. They’re protecting us.
No, they’re playing politics. What do you expect from government? Government is either political or tyrannical.
86′ed
Now, as the facts begin to emerge, the FDA’s communications team again finds itself in crisis mode trying to deflect these new allegations.
Well, if those men dont protect us, who will?
I’m sure they honestly think they are. They are in the grips of religious nuts who think sex, except to make babies, is bbbaaaddd. Since this drug might make sex less risky and hence more common, they want it to be as hard to get as possible. They are trying to save our lost souls after all and no action is too low or silly when they are doing God’s work.
I find the fact that these guys have so much power pretty scary.
Reading about this in Mooney’s The Republican War on Science made me furious. But then, the entire book did (in a good way).