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As featured on p. 218 of "Bloggers on the Bus," under the name "a MyDD blogger."

Friday, May 13, 2005

Another Bully Goes Down

Dr. W. David Hager, the FDA panel member who allegedly sodomized his wife while she was sleeping for many years, is quitting the FDA.
 
A controversial Lexington physician said yesterday he does not expect to be appointed to a third term on a federal Food and Drug Administration advisory committee on reproductive health.

"I will no longer be on the advisory committee after June 30," Hager said. He indicated the decision was made before the allegations surfaced.

In a story in The Nation magazine, Hager's former wife accused the doctor of sexually abusing her during their 32-year marriage. The couple divorced in 2002.

Yesterday, Hager, who was appointed by the Bush administration to the FDA's Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee, questioned the motives of his ex-wife and the liberal monthly. He said the article -- which includes graphic details about their sex life together -- was "not based on all of the facts."

"As I said before, the allegations as stated do not reveal all of the information and therefore they're incomplete and not true," the obstetrician-gynecologist said.


He should be leaving the FDA and going to jail. What his ex-wife describes is rape. Forced entry while your partner is sleeping is rape. He should be up on charges.

Also, what the hell does "the allegations do not reveal all the information and therefore they're untrue" mean? That's the most non-denial denial I've ever heard. You mean you did MORE than just forced sodomy, is that it?

There's another reason why he's leaving the FDA, however; in fact, it's probably the only reason he would have to:

The Nation article, and a story in the Washington Post yesterday, also say that Hager, in an October sermon at Asbury College in Wilmore, took credit for helping to prevent the Plan B contraceptive from being approved for over-the-counter use.

Although the committee voted 23-4 to approve the pill, Hager said in the sermon that he sent a minority memo criticizing the decision, and the FDA ultimately rejected the panel's recommendation. According to the articles in The Nation and the Post, Hager told the Asbury crowd, "Once again, what Satan meant for evil, God turned into good."

In an interview yesterday, Hager downplayed his part in the FDA's decision.

"I don't know what my role was. I voted with the minority and I did send a letter with a minority opinion to the FDA," he said. Who asked him to send it? "I can't reveal that," he said.


I found it very telling that NPR today did a long story on Plan B and Hager's stall tactics without ONCE mentioning the ex-wife, the forced sodomy, or any of the personal issues. They even mentioned the Nation article without mentioning his personal life. Liberal media, indeed. But like I said, the issue of influencing a panel to prevent a drug from coming to market that had overwhelming support is probably more embarrassing to the Bush Administration. That is, if they're embarrassed by anything.

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