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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank Griffin who wrote (41862)	10/3/2000 9:25:19 AM
From: Frank Griffin	Respond to of 769667

RU-486 Approval Sparks Fresh Debate WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2000 -- The government's approval of an abortion pill reignited a long, fiery debate that has been aired frequently in the halls of Congress, outside the Supreme Court and across the country. Proponents say RU-486, which has been used by millions of European women since it was approved nearly a decade ago, could fundamentally alter the abortion debate by making the procedure less difficult and more private. Anti-abortion advocates, who have fought hard to keep the drug out of the United States since it first appeared in France, said the fight was far from over. President Clinton hailed the decision, saying the administration "treated that issue as purely one of science and medicine." "I think that they (FDA) have bent over backward to do a lot of serious inquiries," he said, "but FDA is basically doing its job." The volatile issue has been pervasive in the national policy debates, particularly since the Supreme Court ruled it constitutional in 1973. The issue often surfaces in Congress as anti-abortion lawmakers seek to place abortion restrictions on appropriations bills. On Thursday, much of the congressional Republican leadership, including House Majority Whip Rep. Tom DeLay and House Majority Leader Dick Armey, both Texans, blamed the administration for the drug's approval. "Bill Clinton got the legacy he was looking for," said House Republican Conference chairman Rep. J.C. Watts, R-Okla. "The FDA's approval of RU-486 appears to be motivated by election-year politics rather than a thorough review of the facts," said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas. Democrats praised the FDA's decision, calling it a step forward in women's reproductive medicine, and aimed their rhetorical fire at GOP lawmakers. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., called the decision a "true victory of medicine over politics." "The anti-choice lawmakers sought to tell the scientists and researchers at the FDA what was best for the health of the American public," she said. "But this year they did not succeed." But Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., said: "It is highly offensive that the Clinton Administration accelerated the drug approval process for RU-486 ... This process has been tainted by politics in an unprecedented manner." Rep. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., pushed futilely to block FDA approval of RU-486 in 1998 and 1999. He vowed to introduce legislation that would require physicians who prescribe the drug, also called mifepristone, to be trained and licensed in surgical abortion, among other procedures. "I am appalled that the FDA appears to have bowed to the political pressure from the abortion lobby and White House and approved the drug with inadequate patient protections," Coburn said. Said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y.: "This is a victory for science, the pro-choice movement, and for women in this country. My only regret is that politics delayed the importation of this drug for far too long." Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., said that making RU-486 available for women and doctors "will offer women in the United States a safe alternative to a surgical abortion." She added that her first act eight years ago as a newly elected congresswoman had been to sign a letter to the Food and Drug Administration urging the drug's approval. Some pro-choice groups sounded a less than laudatory tone, however, saying the effect of the ruling was being overstated. "It is not a magic pill" that will lessen abortion restrictions already in place or prevent new ones, said Janet Benshoof, president of the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy. That sentiment was echoed by anti-abortion advocates. "A new administration, I am certain ... will reverse this Clinton-Gore decision," Watts said. --Associated Press © iSyndicate, Inc. - - - - - Develop your sexual expertise in our free class, Master Your