Sens. Cory Gardner and Kelly Ayotte Push Bill For
Over-the-Counter Birth Control
by Dr. Susan Berry24
May 2015
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) 25% and Sen. Kelly
Ayotte (R-NH) 42% are pushing joint legislation that would
incentivize drug companies that manufacture “routine-use contraceptives” to
apply to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for
a switch to over-the-counter (OTC) sales.
According to a press release last
week, the “Allowing Greater Access to Safe and Effective Contraception Act”
would encourage contraceptive drug manufacturers to file for a
“prescription-to-over-the-counter switch by allowing for priority review of the
application and waiving the FDA filing fee.”
The measure provides for incentives to drug companies for
any contraceptive available to adults aged 18 and above, which is
deemed “safe and effective for routine OTC use” by the FDA.
The bill would also repeal Obamacare’s restrictions on
consumer use of health, medical and flexible savings accounts for the purchase
of OTC drugs, thus further enabling the purchase of OTC contraceptives with
these types of savings accounts. Additionally, the legislation would repeal
Obamacare’s annual limits on flexible savings account contributions.
“It’s time to allow women the ability to make their own
decisions about safe, effective, and long-established methods of
contraception,” Gardner said.
“Most other drugs with such a long history of safe and
routine use are available for purchase over the counter, and contraception
should join them,” he added. “Making this medication available over the counter
would increase access in rural and underserved areas, save consumers money by
increasing competition and availability, and save women time by increasing the
ease of getting the safe contraception they need.”
“Our legislation will help increase women’s access to safe
and effective contraceptives and further empower women to make their own health
care decisions,” adds Ayotte. “In addition, our bill restores the ability of
Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts to be used to purchase
over-the-counter medications, giving women more purchasing power.”
Sens. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) 54%, Sen. Joni
Ernst (R-IA) 75%, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC)
51%,
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) 69%, and Sen. Thom Tillis
(R-NC) 50% are co-sponsoring the legislation.
During their campaigns for the U.S. Senate last year,
Gardner and Tillis provoked the ire of abortion
heavyweights NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and Emily’s List by
turning the tables on Democrats who are eager to cast Republican candidates as
members of the “war on women” brigade who would repeal Obamacare and take away
“free” birth control for women.
Gardner and Tillis responded by advocating for OTC birth
control – available without a prescription and, consequently, without Obamacare
providing it. The two candidates presented the economic argument that birth
control pills could be even more accessible – and less expensive – if women
could purchase them without having to obtain a doctor’s prescription.
Obamacare’s requirement of full coverage of birth control in health insurance
plans requires a prescription and, as a result, would keep the cost of the
contraceptives rising for taxpayers who foot the bill for the “free” birth control.
Since pro-abortion groups are reaping many benefits from
Obamacare’s so-called “free” contraceptives, the argument presented by Gardner
and Tillis sent them into a tailspin, and when the two Republicans won their
Senate races, the wounded organizations said they would hold them accountable
to their stance of making birth control available over the counter.
While the economic argument of lowering costs of
contraceptives by having them available over-the-counter may carry weight, the
choice of which oral contraceptives are “safe and effective for routine OTC
use” is an issue that may need to be addressed.
As Breitbart News reported in April,
Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons
(AAPS), observed that “a link exists between hormonal contraception and breast
cancer.”
“The World Health Organization
declared forms of birth control pills…as Group I carcinogens–and it makes
biological sense,” she added.
Additionally, a recent study published by
the journal Human Brain Mapping,
found the use of the combination form of birth control pills to be associated
with significantly lower cortical thickness in certain brain structures
believed to be important in the response to emotional stimuli.
The authors of the study noted that, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, oral contraceptives “are used by the
majority of women in the United States for at least one period of time during
their reproductive years and are approved by the Food and Drug Administration
for pediatric use” after the onset of the first menstrual period.
“Some women experience negative emotional side effects from
taking oral contraceptive pills, although the scientific findings investigating
that have been mixed,” the study’s co-author, Nicole Petersen, a neuroscientist
at UCLA, recently told The Huffington Post.
“So it’s possible that this change in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex may be
related to the emotional changes that some women experience when using birth
control pills.”
Perhaps the reaction of study co-author Larry Cahill of the
University of California-Irvine was most revealing, when he told Catholic News Agency
he was amazed at the lack of research on birth control pills, considering they
have been taken by many women for half a century to prevent pregnancy.
“You might think after 50 years and hundreds of millions of
women taking various incarnations of the pill, there would be a large and
cohesive and impressive body of evidence on it, but there’s next to nothing,”
he said. “I honestly find that amazing.”
How Evil Is Your
Birth Control Manufacturer?
Yaz and Yasmin manufacturer Bayer is under fire yet again, this time
for withholding key data about blood clot risks from the FDA. We decided to see
how Bayer stacked up against other manufacturers where evil is concerned.
In the land of Yaz commercials, everyone has a sassy doctor
friend who enjoys casually discussing… Read
more
According to Bloomberg, recently unsealed FDA documents show
that Bayer neglected to pass along reports of blood clots to the agency in a
2004 safety review of Yasmin. Says former FDA commissioner David Kessler,
"Bayer presented a selective view of the data, and that presentation
obscured the potential risks associated with Yasmin." The Bloomberg
coverage includes a lot of phrases you never want in an article about your
company, like "The FDA told Bayer in June 2003 that it was 'very
concerned' about the number of adverse events, particularly deaths," and a
section titled "10,000 Lawsuits." So ...
Bayer
What it makes: Yasmin, Yaz, Mirena (IUD)
Evil activities: hiding information about Yaz and
Yasmin risks; advertising pills for non-approved uses (like curing acne);
failing inspections for some ingredients
Wyeth (now owned by Pfizer)
What it makes: Alesse, LoOvral, Lybrel, Ovral,
Minesse, Harmonet, Triminulet, Trinordiol, Minulet, Microval, Nordiol,
Biphasil, Overette, Nordette, Triphasil
Evil activities: allegedly illegally kept a generic
version of the antidepressant Effexor off the market; accused of paying
bribes for overseas business; allegedly sponsored unethical drug
trials on victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster
Ortho-McNeil-Janssen (part of Johnson
& Johnson)
What it makes: Ortho-Cept, Ortho-Cyclen, Ortho
Micronor, Ortho-Novum, Ortho-Tri-Cyclen, Ortho-Evra, Ortho-Tri-Cyclen Lo
Evil activities: accused of hiding
risks of Ortho-Evra patch, including a potentially higher risk of blood
clots than that posed by birth control pills; allegedly paid kickbacks to
pharmacy Omnicare to get more nursing home residents on its drugs
Merck
What it makes: Implanon, Nexplanon, NuvaRing
Evil activities: allegedly made false
statements about Vioxx's safety and marketed it for an unapproved
use (for which it will pay a nearly $1 billion settlement); refuses to lower
prices it charges government programs for its life-saving AIDS drugs
Warner Chilcott
What it makes: Ovcon, Estrostep, Loestrin, Lo
Loestrin
Evil activities: Warner Chilcott was sued
in connection with its IPO in 2006, but in general I was not able to find much
evidence of evil. However, Urban Dictionary does define
"Warner Chilcott" as "To commit an act of unspeakable evil and
uncalled for malice, just because you can" — so maybe there's something
I'm missing.
Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC)
CDC Foundation
is a foundation for the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Note: Colleen A.
Goggins was a board member for the CDC
Foundation, and the worldwide chairman, consumer group for Johnson & Johnson.
David
Satcher was a director at Johnson
& Johnson, the surgeon general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is a board member
for the CDC Foundation.
Bloomberg
Family Foundation was a funder for the CDC
Foundation.
Michael R.
Bloomberg is the founder of the Bloomberg
Family Foundation, the founder of Bloomberg
LP, Howard Wolfson is his
adviser, and was a benefactor at the Harlem
Children's Zone.
Anne
M. Tatlock is a director at the Bloomberg
Family Foundation, and was a director at Merck.
Howard
Wolfson is Michael R. Bloomberg’s
adviser, and was a partner at the Glover
Park Group.
Glover Park
Group is the lobby firm for Bloomberg
IL, the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, was the Pfizer
Inc., and Pharmaceutical Research
and Manufacturers of America.
Open
Society Foundations was a funder for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
(think tank).
George
Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was a benefactor at the Harlem Children's Zone, a contributor
for MoveOn.org, and the chairman for
the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Harlem Children's Zone, Media
Matters, the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Committee for Economic Development, and
the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace (think tank).
Ilyse
Hogue was a director of political advocacy for MoveOn.org, is a senior adviser for Media Matters, and the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Akin,
Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP was the lobby firm for the Glover Park Group, Johnson & Johnson, Merck,
is the lobby firm for Pfizer Inc., Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
of America, and Wyeth.
Wyeth
was a member of the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America.
Vernon E. Jordan
Jr. is a senior counsel for Akin,
Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, married to Ann Dibble Jordan, an
honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a
director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg
conference participant (think tank).
Ann
Dibble Jordan is married to Vernon
E. Jordan Jr., an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think
tank), and was a director at Johnson
& Johnson.
Valerie B. Jarrett
is Vernon E. Jordan Jr’s great niece, the senior
adviser for the Barack Obama
administration, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Newton
N. Minow is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Sidley Austin
LLP was the lobby firm for Johnson
& Johnson, Pfizer Inc., is
the lobby firm for the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America, and Bayer HealthCare.
Sandra E. Peterson
is the group worldwide chairman for Johnson
& Johnson, and was the EVP for Bayer
HealthCare.
Bayer HealthCare
is a member of the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America, and a subsidiary of Bayer AG.
CGI Group Inc.
was the Obamacare contractor that
developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Donna
S. Morea was the EVP for the CGI
Group Inc., and a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for Obamacare.
Lloyd Howell Jr.
is the EVP for Booz Allen Hamilton,
and a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development.
Raymond V.
Gilmartin is a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development, and was the president & CEO for Merck.
Patricia F. Russo
is a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development, a director at Merck,
and a director at Alcoa Inc.
Joseph
T. Gorman was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development, and a director at Alcoa Inc.
Michael G. Morris
was a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development, and is a director at Alcoa Inc.
Stephen W. Sanger
is a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development, and a director at Pfizer Inc.
Frederick W.
Telling was a VP for Pfizer Inc.,
and is a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development.
Robert
A. Essner was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development, and the chairman for Wyeth.
Ronald A. Williams
is a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development, a director at Johnson
& Johnson, and a director at the Boeing
Company.
Kenneth M.
Duberstein was the VP for the Committee
for Economic Development, is a director at the Boeing Company, and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Donna
S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
Barbara G. Fast
was a VP for the CGI Group Inc., and
a VP at the Boeing Company.
W. James
McNerney Jr. is the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company,
and a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Cyrus F.
Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Klaus Kleinfeld
is a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), the chairman & CEO for Alcoa Inc., a director at Bayer
AG, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Bayer
Corporation is a North American subsidiary for Bayer AG.
Mayer
Brown was the lobby firm for the Bayer
Corporation, and Pfizer Inc.
William M. Daley was a partner at Mayer Brown, the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
William M. Daley
Professional career
Daley returned to the practice of law, as a partner with the firm
Mayer
Brown (then Mayer, Brown & Platt) from 1993 to 1997.
Commercial Club of
Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Robert
A. Helman is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, a partner at Mayer
Brown, and was an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Charles O.
Prince III was a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), and is a director at the Johnson & Johnson.
Mark B. McClellan
is a director at Johnson & Johnson,
was a senior fellow at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), an administrator of Medicare and Medicaid for the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS), and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Constance J.
Horner was a guest scholar at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), the deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is a
director Pfizer Inc.
Suzanne Nora Johnson
is a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank), a director at Pfizer Inc., and a trustee at the Carnegie Institution for Science.
Andrew Carnegie
was the founder of the Carnegie
Institution for Science, the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank), and the founder of the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Jessica Tuchman Mathews was an honorary
trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), the president of the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think tank), is a director at the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank),
a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a
2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Ed Griffin’s interview with
Norman Dodd in 1982
(The investigation into the
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace uncovered the plans for population
control by involving the United
States in war)
Donald
Kennedy was a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
(think tank), and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think
tank) was a funder for the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank).
Margaret A.
Hamburg is the commissioner for the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the VP for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank), David A. Hamburg’s daughter, and was an assistant secretary for the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS).
David A. Hamburg
is Margaret A. Hamburg’s father, an
adviser for the Nuclear Threat
Initiative (think tank), and the president emeritus for the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Carnegie
Corporation of New York was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace (think tank), the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank), and the Brookings Institution (think
tank).
Newton
N. Minow is an honorary trustee at the Carnegie
Corporation of New York, a senior counsel for Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP, and Craig M. Robinson’s sister.
Sidley Austin
LLP was the lobby firm for Johnson
& Johnson, Pfizer Inc., is
the lobby firm for the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America, and Bayer HealthCare.
R.
Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Penny S. Pritzker
is a member of the Commercial Club of
Chicago, the secretary at the U.S.
Department of Commerce for the Barack Obama administration, was the national finance chair, fundraiser
for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential
campaign, a co-chair for the 2009
Barack Obama inaugural committee, a fundraiser, national co-chair for the 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaign,
a contributor for the 2013 Barack Obama
inaugural committee, the host for the Barack
Obama fund-raising dinner, 7/2/2008, and Craig M. Robinson’s basketball coach for the children's team.
Sally
Susman was a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and is the EVP for Pfizer Inc.,
Samuel W. Bodman
III was the deputy secretary for the U.S.
Department of Commerce, and is a trustee emeritus at the Carnegie Institution for Science.
Suzanne Nora
Johnson is a trustee at the Carnegie
Institution for Science, a director at Pfizer
Inc., and a trustee at the Brookings
Institution (think tank).
Peter G. Peterson
was the secretary for the U.S.
Department of Commerce, and the chairman for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (think tank).
Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace (think
tank) was a funder for the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank).
Donald
Kennedy was a trustee at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
(think tank), and a commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Margaret A.
Hamburg is the VP for the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank), the commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
David A. Hamburg’s daughter, and was
an assistant secretary for the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
David A. Hamburg
is Margaret A. Hamburg’s father, an
adviser for the Nuclear Threat
Initiative (think tank), and the president emeritus for the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Carnegie
Corporation of New York was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace (think tank), the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank), and the Brookings Institution (think
tank).
Ted
Turner is a co-chairman for the Nuclear
Threat Initiative (think tank), and a member of Kappa Sigma.
Richard
M. Burr is a member of Kappa Sigma,
and a U.S. Senate senator.
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