W. David Hager was a ridiculous choice to serve on an FDA panel on an advisory panel on the safety and effectiveness of drugs for use in obstetrics. After all, before Bush tapped him for the job, Hager was best known for writing a book advocating Bible reading as an appropriate treatment for PMS, denying contraceptives to his patients unless they were married, and endorsing the medically inaccurate assertion that the common birth control pill is an abortifacient.
Since Hager was named to the FDA panel, our worst fears have been confirmed. And then some.
Hager successfully spearheaded an effort to ignore scientific evidence and block women’s access to Plan B contraceptives, explaining later that it was an example of something “Satan meant for evil.” During Hager’s tenure, we also learned that he may have raped his former wife.
I’m pleased to report, therefore, that Hager’s work at the FDA will soon be coming to an end.
W. David Hager, the conservative Kentucky doctor whose role on the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory panel on reproductive drugs has sparked controversy, said he will step down when his term ends next month. […]
In an e-mail message, Hager said he had made the decision to step down before the recent controversy over his comments regarding Plan B. “I had been told that I would not be reappointed since I had served two terms,” Hager said in answer to questions about his future plans.
Hager can argue that his departure is routine and part of the schedule, but the evidence suggests otherwise. Experts of FDA advisory panels generally serve four years; Hager is leaving after two-and-a-half years.
I guess there are some extremists too unstable for even the Bush gang to keep around.