Director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group
Director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group
PROFILE
Sidney Wolfe
Guest
FROM Sidney Wolfe
Which Way, L.A.?
Science, Politics and the Food and Drug Administration The mission of the Food and Drug Administration is protection of public health and welfare. To accomplish that, the agency regulates no less than one fourth of all consumer products sold in the United States. Despite the agency's approval yesterday to sell Plan B , the "morning-after" contraceptive pill over the counter, controversy over the FDA will go on for a long time. Religious conservatives claim the pill invites promiscuity and sexually transmitted disease. Women’s rights advocates don't like the age limit of 18. We hear those arguments and look at the broader debate about FDA's ability to protect public health and welfare. Are its decisions based on science or religion and ideology? Is it a captive of the wealthy and powerful interests it's supposed to monitor and control? (An extended version of this discussion originally aired earlier today on To the Point.)
To the Point
Does Approval of Morning-After Pill Mean Change at FDA? The mission of the Food and Drug Administration is protection of public health and welfare. To accomplish that, the agency regulates no less than one-fourth of all consumer products sold in the United States. Despite the agency's approval yesterday to sell the " morning-after" pill over the counter , controversy over the FDA will go on for a long time. Religious conservatives claim the pill invites promiscuity and sexually transmitted disease. Women's rights advocates don't like the age limit of 18. We hear those arguments and look at the broader debate about FDA's ability to protect public health and welfare. Are its decisions based on science or religion and ideology? Is it a captive of the wealthy and powerful interests it's supposed to monitor and control?
Recommended
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.