The Abortion Pill (Misoprostol) Case
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2023 8:11 am
Even if you are against legal abortion, you should not like what is going on with the lawsuit before a Texas judge aimed at revoking FDA approval of the "abortion pill" Misoprostol. When it comes to the scientific debate associated with this case, on the side of the plaintiffs who want approval revoked, we have some small, fringe associations of physicians. On the side of the defense, which wants to maintain approval, we have all of the major medical organizations and the FDA.
See https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/02/10 ... l-lawsuit/ for a description of the situation. On the "revoke approval" side, for example, we have the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians (AAPLOG) and Gynecologists while we have the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on the "maintain approval" side.
The name and history of the AAPLOG tell us that it has political motivation. It has about 7,000 members. THE ACOG is the pre-eminent association of obstetricians and gynecologists. There is no indication that it has political objectives. It has about 60,000 members.
At https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases ... -effective, you can see that the American Medical Association also is on the "maintain approval" side of the issue. And, of course, the FDA is the world's pre-eminent institution with respect to evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drugs.
This should be a non starter. The judge involved has a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Juris Doctorate. He is not qualified to independently assess the scientific arguments of each side. And the "credentials" of the "maintain approval" side are clearly overwhelmingly superior. It should be a slam dunk for the "maintain approval" side.
But there is concern that it is not because the Judge is an anti abortion political activist selected by the "revoke approval" side because of his status as such. NOBODY should want that kind of situation. If the "revoke approval" side wins, a horrible precedent with ramifications well beyond the abortion issue will be set; at least initially. You will have science disregarded because one side was able to shop for and obtain a politically-motivated judge. That is NOT good. Even if you think the end is good, the end does not justify the means.
See https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/02/10 ... l-lawsuit/ for a description of the situation. On the "revoke approval" side, for example, we have the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians (AAPLOG) and Gynecologists while we have the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on the "maintain approval" side.
The name and history of the AAPLOG tell us that it has political motivation. It has about 7,000 members. THE ACOG is the pre-eminent association of obstetricians and gynecologists. There is no indication that it has political objectives. It has about 60,000 members.
At https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases ... -effective, you can see that the American Medical Association also is on the "maintain approval" side of the issue. And, of course, the FDA is the world's pre-eminent institution with respect to evaluating the safety and effectiveness of drugs.
This should be a non starter. The judge involved has a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Juris Doctorate. He is not qualified to independently assess the scientific arguments of each side. And the "credentials" of the "maintain approval" side are clearly overwhelmingly superior. It should be a slam dunk for the "maintain approval" side.
But there is concern that it is not because the Judge is an anti abortion political activist selected by the "revoke approval" side because of his status as such. NOBODY should want that kind of situation. If the "revoke approval" side wins, a horrible precedent with ramifications well beyond the abortion issue will be set; at least initially. You will have science disregarded because one side was able to shop for and obtain a politically-motivated judge. That is NOT good. Even if you think the end is good, the end does not justify the means.