ACTION ALERT. Support Women's Health at the FDA!

[Guest guest]

HI all, I just got this in so for those who are pro-active for womens health it may interest you.

Dee~

=================================

ACTION ALERT:CONTACT YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS AND FDA COMMISSIONER CRAWFORD TO SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF WOMEN'S HEALTH AT THE FDA!TO: ALL WOMEN'S HEALTH ADVOCATESFROM: SOCIETY FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCHRE: THE NEXT DIRECTOR OF THE FDA OFFICE OF WOMEN'S HEALTH Wood, Ph.D., a longtime friend of the Society for Women's Health Research and a champion for women's health, resigned yesterday as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assistant commissioner for women's health and director of the FDA's Office of Women's Health. Her resignation was prompted by the FDA's recent decision to delay action on deciding whether to approve the Plan B emergency contraceptive for over-the-counter use. Below is Dr. Wood's resignation letter."Dear Friends and Colleagues, I regret to tell you that I am leaving the FDA, and will no longer be serving as the Assistant Commissioner for Women's Health and Director of the FDA Office of Women's Health. The recent decision announced by the Commissioner about emergency contraception, which continues to limit women's access to a product that would reduce unintended pregnancies and reduce abortions is contrary to my core commitment to improving and advancing women's health.

I have spent the last 15 years working to ensure that science informs good health policy decisions. I can no longer serve as staff when scientific and clinical evidence, fully evaluated and recommended for approval by the professional staff here, has been overruled. I therefore have submitted my resignation effective today."

The Society has worked with Dr. Wood for fifteen years, and her resignation is a great loss to the FDA and to women's health. We now need to ensure that her successor at FDA will be a person whom the women's health community can support.

We are deeply concerned about the loss of Dr. Wood's expertise and integrity at FDA and need your help to ensure that the FDA commissioner selects a strong replacement who, like Dr. Wood, will place scientific integrity over politics.

Please contact FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford at lcrawford@... and your members of Congress (visit www.house.gov and www.senate.gov for contact information) and express your strong concern about Dr. Wood's resignation and tell them that women's health cannot be compromised by ideology!THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!__________________________________ Kaplan, MAGovernment Relations AssociateSociety for Women's Health Research1025 Connecticut Ave., Suite 701Washington, DC 20036(p) (f) melissa@... www.womenshealthresearch.org