wired’s gallery of retired drugs reminds me why the (attempted creation of a) doctrine of FDA preemption of state law failure-to-warn cases is a bad thing, even if wyeth v. levine is lousy test case.

and if that doesn’t get your irish up, here’s some news that just walked across my transom that should:

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Global Health, Kent Hill¹, issued a new USAID instruction that requires its staff to force governments in several African countries to discontinue the provision of U.S.-funded contraceptive commodities to Marie Stopes International (MSI), one of the world’s leading family planning organizations.

Marie Stopes International is a london-based NGO that works on sexual and reproductive health, and operates its own clinics around the world, including in africa, bangladesh, and pakistan. more information on the ban is available on their website; according to their director,

the USAID instruction will “seriously disrupt” MSI’s family planning programmes in at least six African countries – Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe – including one where the organisation delivers 25% of all family planning services nationally. Women in these countries will be left with few options other than abortion, the majority of which will be unsafe and will likely result in their death or disability.

more abortions. and here i thought the neochristiancons were all about fewer abortions. silly me.

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¹ the USAID directory says hill’s work number is 202-712-0970. yahoo even has a home phone number for him, if you search in his town of residence. not that i’m saying anyone should call him and give him what-for. i’m just saying.