It's hard enough to stomach this administration's claims of a "War on Terror," when fighting that war (as if that wasn't ironic enough already) involves taking water and work away from civilians, and thousands of deaths and injuries for Iraqis and American soldiers alike.

But when, today, the Supreme Court negated federal protections for abortion clinics against violence, when the Bush administration supported a "pro-life" group with a validated history of a wide scope of clinic violence, including bombings (again with the irony), all one could really ask oneself was...

Dr. Crawford at the FDA said he wanted more public opinion on OTC status for emergency contraception.

Okay. Here's some from a woman, who, according to Dr. Crawford, is barely old enough to comprehend a simple, single sentence which informed her to take one pill now, and another in twelve hours:

Dear Dr. Lester Crawford,

The FDA panel overseeing the issue of making EC over the counter has not only once stalled on a ruling because they have requested "public comment" before doing so, they have now stated they need even MORE public comment. Bear in mind that, to my knowledge, NO drug before has EVER been required a "public comment" period, and since it is the FDA's job to only consider medical and health safety issues, public sentiment that is NOT about those issues should have no bearing on their decisions.

Young women may soon have to wait five days or more before obtaining contraceptives, so that their parents can be notified. On Tuesday, a bill known as the "Parents Right to Know Act" was introduced in both the US Senate and House of Representatives (S 1279, HR 3011). This legislation would require clinics receiving federal funds under Title X to notify the parents of any minors who seek contraception at least five days before writing a prescription. It does not demand parental consent, but allows no exceptions to the notification requirement.