Roundup: One Pill Will Make You Larger

Dec 10, 2009, 8:03am

Robin Marty

Ready to go down the rabbit hole? Today's roundup is all about pharmaceuticals. And, in the mini-roundup, there is no joy in Mudville.

Today’s theme? Pills, pills, pills…

Perhaps one of the most astute comments to come out of the debate over the eventually tabled Nelson-Hatch amendment was the issue that if women’s reproductive health was being prohibited, surely male reproductive enhancements like Viagra and Cialis should be, as well.

“Imagine if the men in this chamber had to fill out a form and get a rider for Viagra or Cialis and it was public.” Sen. Barbara Boxer said during debate on the Nelson-Hatch amendment. “Forget about it. There would be a rage in this chamber.”

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) also used the comparison, saying that he wanted his daughters and granddaughters to have access to all “reproductive health care.”

“What if we were to vote on a Viagra amendment and it had the same limits would apply for abortion?” Lautenberg said during Tuesday’s debate, adding that the reaction would be “outrage.”

Clayton Cramer of the Spokesman-Review disagrees with the analogy.

Viagra helps men (and presumably their wives) achieve sexual
satisfaction. This is not truly necessary from a health standpoint, but
has no other morally worrisome aspects to it. Is Boxer arguing that
abortion is some sort of sexual satisfaction procedure?

Besides the fact that Mr. Cramer is assuming that only married men are using the drug (and oh, how I would love to see a card check for THAT one!), his own analogy falls flat as well. Viagra coverage was granted because drug companies argued it as a necessity for promoting male self-esteem. That sounds eerily like a "mental health" argument to me…

But "male self-esteem" pills aren’t the only ones being debated these days. In Italy, RU 486 has just been approved to be made available in the country. Italy was one of the last countries in Europe to approve the drug.

Finally, in Memphis a lawfirm is working on a class-action suit against the makers of the birth control pill Yaz. The suit claims an increase in blood clots by "dozens" of women who have previously not had an issue with them, although at this point there is no evidence of wrongful death. The Faster Times takes a look at the alleged increase in risk here.

Mini roundup: Reporters are still analyzing the Nelson-Hatch fallout, but some feel mighty Casey has struck out.

12/10

Birth
Control Lawsuits Affecting Memphians Memphis Daily News

The
pheromone phenomenon University
Daily Kansan

No
hypocrisy in pro-life
movement Chicago
Daily Herald

Nativity
scene gives birth to controversy Toronto Star

Ireland
abortion:
Your comments BBC
News

A
Health Care Battle on Many Fronts New York Times

Abortion
pill gets final approval in Italy BBC News

County
eyes renewing deals with abortion providers Houston Chronicle

Abortion
foes seek to limit subsidies for insurance premiums The News Journal

12/9