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How the U.S. Army Kills Its Own Soldiers A horrifying, exclusive report from JoAnn Wypijewski on the grim secrets of Fort Sill, Oklahoma. How a sadistic drill sergeant tortured basic trainees, amid brutal indifference that led to the death on March 19,2006,of 21-year-old PFC Matthew Scarano. Dead Movement Marching? Cockburn and St Clair assess the failures of the national antiwar groups, even as popular opposition to the war tops 60 per cent. Stalin or Confucius? Chris Reed on the Secrets of the Garden of Bliss, otherwise known as North Korea. CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! |
Today's Stories March 25 / 26, 2006 Ralph
Nader March 24, 2006 Cockburn
/ Sengupta / Duff P. Sainath Todd
Chretien Marty
Omoto Michael
Carmichael Peter
Phillips Gabriel
Kolko Website
of the Day
March 23, 2006 Charles
V. Peña Joe
DeRaymond Robert
Fisk Jonathan
Cook Tom
Engelhardt Joshua
Frank Norman
Solomon Robert
Fitch / Joe Allen Patrick
Cockburn CounterPunch
News Service Website
of the Day
March 22, 2006 David
MacMichael Juan
Santos Paul
Craig Roberts Patrick
Cockburn Ramzy
Baroud Jason
Leopold Dennis
Perrin William
Blum Jeffrey
St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 21, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Winslow
Wheeler Tom
Engelhardt Arnold
Oliver Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Mike
Whitney William
A. Cook Sophia
A. McLennen
March 20, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ralph
Nader Diane
Christian Jeff
Halper Harry
Browne Norman
Solomon Patrick
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 18 / 19, 2006 Cockburn
/ St. Clair Werther Chris
Kromm Patrick
Cockburn Elaine
Cassel S. Brian
Willson Fred
Gardner Brian
Cloughley Laura
Carlsen Eamon
Martin Julie
Hilden Alison
Weir Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 17, 2006 Eduardo
Galeano Greg
Moses Richard
Falk / David Krieger Cindy
and Craig Corrie Amira
Hass Mike
Marqusee James
Petas and Robin Eastman-Abaya Website
of the Day
March 16, 2006 Norman
Solomon Tom
Philpott Heather
Gray Amira
Hass Missy
Comley Beattie Sen.
Russell Feingold Lucinda
Marshall Andrew
Bosworth Clancy
Sigal Website
of the Day
Jonathan
Cook Winslow
Wheeler Diane
Christian Ron
Jacobs Missy
Comley Beattie Jared
Bernstein Noam
Chomsky Website
of the Day
March 14, 2006 Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Todd
Chretien Jason
Kunin Thomas
Palley Cockburn
/ St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 13, 2006 Uri
Avnery Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney David
Green Jeremy
Scahill Mike
Ferner Corey
Harris Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Paul
Craig Roberts Ben
Tripp John
Strausbaugh Landau
/ Hassen Robert
Bryce Gary
Leupp Fred
Gardner Ron
Jacobs Jonathan
Scott Ramzy
Baroud Jordan
Flaherty John
Chuckman Joe
Allen Julia
Kendlbacher St.
Clair / Walker / Pollack / Vest Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 10, 2006 Ben
Rosenfeld Lila
Rajiva Saree
Makdisi Elena
Shore Joshua
Frank Dave
Zirin Aura
Bogado
March 9, 2006 John
Walsh Annie
Zirin Brian
McKenna Chris
Floyd Rachard
Itani Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Wylie
Harris Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 8, 2006 Patrick
Bond Brian
Concannon, Jr. Pat
Williams Lance
Selfa Mokhiber
/ Weissman Walter
Brasch Vijay
Prashad Website
of the Day
March 7, 2006 Werther John
Blair Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney Warren
Guykema Sen.
Russell Feingold Robert
Jensen Norman
Solomon Bernie
Dwyer Website
of the Day
Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin Vanessa
Redgrave Walter
A. Davis Joshua
Frank Nate
Mezmer Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Jennifer
Van Bergen Steven
Higgs Winslow
T. Wheeler Ron
Jacobs Rev.
William E. Alberts Colin
Asher Fred
Gardner "Pariah" John
Scagliotti Seth
Sandronsky Joan
Roelofs Arjun
Makhijani Ardeshr
Ommani Diana
Barahona Ben
Tripp St.
Clair / Socialist Worker Staff Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend March 3, 2006 Laura
Carlsen John
V. Whitbeck Chris
Floyd Mohamed
Hakki Pratyush
Chandra John
Scagliotti Website
of the Day
March 2, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ramzy
Baroud Saul
Landau Joe
Allen Steve
Shore Denise
Boggs Norman
Finkelstein Website
of the Day
March 1, 2006 Mairead
Corrigan Maguire Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Faheem
Hussain Antony
Loewenstein Elizabeth
Schulte Mike
Whitney John
Ryan Michael
Donnelly Tom
Reeves Website
of the Day
Subscribe Online
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Weekend
Edition The Politics of Abortion The FDA and Plan B By ELAINE CASSEL Plan B is the nickname for emergency contraception, also known as the "morning-after pill." Two years ago, the FDA Nonprescription Advisory Committee voted 24-3 that Plan B should be made available for over the counter (OTC) use, without a prescription, having found it safe. But the pill is still not available OTC. That's especially unfortunate, of course, due to the nature of Plan B: As soon as intercourse occurs, the clock begins ticking, for soon the pill will be ineffective. Imagine the plight of, for instance, a working mom: One night, she and her husband are having sex, but she realizes she forgot to take her birth control pill. The couple isn't able to welcome another child--they already have three -- but she doesn't want to risk an abortion either, perhaps for health reasons or because her religious beliefs counsel against it. Thanks to Plan B opponents, the next morning, she must not only handle all her job and family responsibilities, but must also find the time and money for a doctor appointment and a visit to the pharmacy--all to get a pill whose safety and efficacy are undisputed, and that actually allows women to avoid abortions. Despite the advisory panel's
advice, the FDA punted, rendering no decision on the OTC request.
With this cowardly move, FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford broke
his promise to the Senate that, if confirmed as FDA Commissioner,
he would see that the FDA gave Plan B an "up or down vote."
In September 2005, Crawfordresigned hisFDA post under a cloud
of controversy surrounding his ties to drug companies. FDA Assistant Commissioner for Women's Health Susan Wood, and Frank Davidoff, a member of the Nonprescription Advisory Committee, both left the FDA in protest over Crawford's decision. At the request of the Senate, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigated and issued a report on the FDA's actions with regard to the OTC use of Plan B. The report noted that it was the only time in ten years that the FDA did not approve an OTC request endorsed by the advisory panel. The reason for the decision is obvious: The FDA bowed to pressure from Republicans in Congress who argued that teenage girls might become sexually promiscuous if they knew Plan B was available. The argument was absurd: After all, Plan B is supposed to be just what its name implies: backup contraception for the rare instances in which contraception fails. Few teenage girls are risk-averse enough to forego sex, or change their sexual frequency, simply because their first-line contraception is only 98% or 99% effective. (And girls who really are that risk-averse could double-up with a condom plus another method, such as the pill.) Also, girls are aware that abortion is still available. So the argument must be that girls who are so religious that any risk of having to have an abortion would deter them from having sex, would suddenly throw caution to the wind, sexually, if Plan B were available. That is incredibly implausible. But even assuming that keeping teenage girls chaste was the FDA's only goal, why was the drug not approved for OTC sale to adult women? Therein lies the truth about what the FDA is up to--it is not just withholding the contraception for teens, it is denying it to all women. The CDC and the Cervical Cancer Vaccine Much more disturbing than the senseless refusal to approve Plan B, is the battle over what should be a no-brainer: the development and approval of a vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) -- which causes cervical cancer. HPV is responsible for a majority of cervical cancer cases. Each year, more than 10,000 American women find out that they have invasive cervical cancer. Nearly 4,000 of them die. Even when it is not fatal, cervical cancer may result in a hysterectomy, which destroys the woman's ability to bear children. (A radical trachelotomy may allow childbearing, but is an option for only some women.) Radiation treatment may also destroy ovarian function. HPV transmission is essentially impossible to prevent. It is controversial whether even condom use protects against its transmission. It may, as condom use is associated with a lessened cervical cancer risk. But no one can yet confidently say that a condom is any guarantee against transmission of the cancer-causing virus. If a girl receives the HPV vaccine before she becomes sexually active, it is almost 100% effective. Yet some oppose the vaccine based on the same argument used against Plan B, especially in its OTC form: That it would encourage sexual promiscuity. Indeed, the Bush administration has appointed someone from the fundamentalist Christian organization "Focus on the Family," to sit on the vaccine's advisory panel working with the CDC. The opposition to the vaccine is, to put it bluntly, insane. It also puts the lie to any claim that opponents are putting motherhood, or children, or families first. Half of cervical cancer cases occur in women between the ages of 35 and 55--meaning that statistically, the overwhelming majority of patients will be mothers. Also, the virus can be transmitted from mother to infant during childbirth. The opposition to the vaccine comes from an ugly view of women. On this view, it is better to compel women into abstinence, than to persuade them into it. If the case for abstinence is so strong, why won't the pro-abstinence movement allow women to choose it--rather than being terrified into it, by the threat of cancer, or of contraceptive failure? This point of view is very accurately described as anti-choice. What is really is, is a struggle to force an extreme religious viewpoint about sex and contraception on all women, not just the mothers and daughters of the fundamentalist Christians. Religious politics has overtaken the common good and common sense in many statehouses, as they legislate their moral judgments with anti-abortion laws. Now regulatory agencies designed to promote the health of all Americans are beholden to the same extremists. It's time to return the FDA to the respected position it once held-- as the least partisan of the regulatory agencies, and one that took seriously its mandate to protect the health of Americans. As for the CDC, it needs an inoculation against religious fanaticism, which has no place in its decisionmaking. Elaine Cassel practices law in Virginia and the
District of Columbia and teaches law and psychology. She doesn't
like being lied to. Her new book The
War on Civil Liberties: How Bush and Ashcroft Have Dismantled
the Bill of Rights, is published by Lawrence Hill. She can
be reached at: ecassel1@cox.net
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from CounterPunch Books! The Case Against Israel By Michael Neumann Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid? CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues, as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org. |