Thursday, August 24, 2006

Science Strikes a One-two Punch on the American Right

Punch-one:

It's a better-day in America, some belated good-news! A final compromise on the Plan-B pill, which is merely a concentrated-dose of the same-chemicals found in birth-control pills, has been reached at the FDA. Even the "decider" President has decided it's OK. But why? To insure his nominee for the FDA is approved, which isn't unreasonable for-once. Compromise. That's a word we haven't heard very-much since 9/11, because they have been virtually-nonexistent in Washington. From the AP:

The FDA's long delay in deciding on Barr's application ensnared
President Bush' nominee to head the regulatory agency. On Thursday, two senators said they would lift their block on Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, making it likely he will win confirmation as FDA chief, perhaps next month.
In recent weeks, anti-abortion groups, angered that approval was imminent, had urged Bush to withdraw von Eschenbach's nomination. Bush said Monday he supported the doctor's decisions.


But, it still doesn't help America's teenagers. The United States is first in unplanned-pregnancies in the developed world. Also, nine states have already approved the same measures, allowing pharmacies to dispense the Plan-B pill to women 18-and-up without any prescription. The pill is effective within 72 hours of unprotected-sex. Granted, it was done for political-reasons, but it appears there have been some major-debates within the FDA with a victory for science and reason. While the religious-right has her boys dominating all-three branches of the Federal government, you would think the results would be greater. It's my opinion that Bush and most establishment-Republians don't agree with them. Sure, they promised-them the sky to get-elected, but it's hard to be that idiotic in-practice. Still, teenagers aren't going to be getting the pill without-supervision, which is a GOP-concesssion to them.

Punch-two:

The British scientific-journal, Nature, published an article Wednesday about a new-technique developed by Advanced Cell Technology that does no-harm to embryos. The technique, it is said, allows for the creation of stem-cells without destroying an embryo's ability to eventually develop into a fetus. Of course, there are going to be detractors who try to take this argument into the realm of fairy-tales, but it doesn't matter. "But a spokeswoman for President Bush, who last month vetoed legislation that would have allowed federal money for embryonic stem-cell research, called it a step in the right direction," reported the Kansas City Star, today. This lets the Bush administration off-the-hook with many on the religious-right, and stem-cell research was a fight I don't believe they ever really wanted. They just wanted the votes of the religious-extremists. It's sad that they won't accept the inevitability that we will all die someday, but why politicize your own neuroses? Well, that's folks-for-ya'!

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