One of the benefits of a Democratic victory last Fall was that now all the committees and subcommittees in Congress that deal with appropriations are headed by Democrats. Which means they can use their power of the purse directly to force federal agencies to do their jobs better, or even do their jobs at all. These committee and subcommittee heads are referred to as the “Cardinals” of the House, because of the appropriations power they wield. In the case of Rep. Rosa DeLauro, that means the FDA must now account for its atrocious record on women’s health issues:
WASHINGTON (WOMENSENEWS)–The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture is known more as a coveted assignment for farm-state lawmakers than a bastion for women’s rights leaders.
But that is what it is becoming under the control of Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat who is one of only three female House lawmakers known on Capitol Hill as a “cardinal,” or one of the chairs of the 12 appropriations subcommittees that dole out federal dollars.
As the first woman to run the powerful subcommittee, DeLauro has done steady battle against actions affecting women’s health by the Food and Drug Administration, a Rockville, Md., agency of the executive branch that falls under the subcommittee’s jurisdiction.
This means, that Rep. DeLauro can push for legislation that will force the FDA to make women’s helath issues a priority:
In her most recent move, DeLauro in May introduced the Scientific Fairness Act for Women, which she portrayed as a way of blocking the FDA from making decisions that put corporate or ideological interests above the interests of women’s health. […]
The bill would ban silicone breast implants until scientific studies prove their long-term safety; require the FDA to study scientific data on the use of emergency contraception by women under 18; and make the FDA’s Office on Women’s Health a funding priority.
“When the FDA reviews drug and medical device applications, the American people expect the FDA to be objective and independent, making decisions based on science, not on corporate and political considerations,” DeLauro said in a statement. “Unfortunately, recent actions suggest that no one has more at stake in de-politicizing FDA decisions and restoring integrity to the agency than women, which is why we need to prioritize women’s health at the agency and ensure scientists are able to work unfettered.” […]
DeLauro’s dark references to “recent actions” that spurred the bill refers to a timeline that begins about a year ago, when the FDA in August 2006 made a long-delayed decision to allow over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception to women 18 and older but not to younger women, often those who need it the most. […]
During the delay, reproductive rights advocates accused the FDA of bowing to political pressure from some religious activists who view emergency contraception as an abortifacient because it can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. The Washington-based American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, says the drug prevents and does not end pregnancy, which occurs at the moment of implantation.
The delay prompted Susan Wood, former director of the FDA’s Office on Women’s Health, to resign in 2005. “I left the FDA truly with a heavy heart,” Wood recalled at a recent panel discussion on contraception in Washington. She said disregard for women’s health at the agency left her feeling quite depressed and concerned.
The next provocation occurred last November, when the FDA ended a 14-year ban on the cosmetic use of silicone gel-filled breast implants and allowed the sale of the implants to all women for reconstruction and to women 22 and older for augmentation. Critics say the health consequences of the implants are not fully known and have aired concerns about risks for women if the implants rupture or leak inside the breast. […]
Women’s rights activists … say it’s gratifying to have DeLauro in her new post.
“It’s very important to have somebody like Rosa DeLauro there,” said Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women and Families in Washington, D.C. “It means we have somebody who can have more of an impact when decisions aren’t being made based on science.”
For too long, Bush and his wave of unqualified Christian zealot administrators and regulators have held women’s health issues hostage to the political agendas of the religious right and of corporate contributers to the Republican Party. I’m grateful that we now have a female legislator in charge who will hold the FDA’s political appointees’ collective feet to the fire. This may be considered a small thing by some people perhaps, but in my mind it is a highly significant step to have a women’s rights activist in charge of the FDA’s funding. It will hopefully lead to better decisions by that vital agency, ones based on science and not religion or corporate profits. And who but a corporate lobbyist or fundamentalist nutcase could argue with that?
