Op-ed: Another difference between Democrats and Republicans

DC Clipmonkey has had countless conversations with his many very liberal friends and acquaintances about whether it matters who wins presidential elections. During the 2000 election, he regularly battled with Nader supporters over whether it mattered if Gore or Bush won. He'd like to think that those debates have been clearly decided, but if not, it's important to remind those Naderites that there are small, but significant ways in which the current administration's policies contrast with those of hypothetical Gore and Kerry administrations every day.

This week another glaring example of this appeared in the news when a report revealed that political appointees at the FDA had overruled scientists in determining whether the morning-after pill, also known as Plan B, should be available without a prescription. For those friends of clipmonkey who aren't aware, Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that can prevent a woman from becoming pregnant if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. Approved by the FDA in 1999 as a prescription drug, it is most effective within the first 24 hours after unprotected sex. If a woman is required to see a doctor and obtain a prescription, the delay could make the drug far less effective. For example, if the unprotected sex occurs over a weekend and no appointments are available until Monday, it could mean an unwanted pregnancy.

The GAO report found that the FDA did not follow its normal procedures in determining the status of Plan B, deferring instead to political appointees like Dr. Mark McClellan, the brother of beleaguered White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan. During the course of the review process, McClellan repeatedly raised many of the objections to the drug's availability posed by various right-wing "Christian" groups.

This case is but another example of how the current administration simply hands off decision-making to one interest group or another regardless of the evidence or policy impact. Remarkably, it also raises the question of whether the policies of Bush and the religious zealots who back him have actually increased abortions.

Do these so-called Christians actually care about reducing abortions or do they simply like to use the issue as a cudgel with which to win elections?