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Monday, August 15
Former State Legislator and Fellow Progressive Minnette Doderer Dies at 82
by
Trish Nelson
on Mon 15 Aug 2005 05:06 PM CDT
 Former State Legislator and Fellow Progressive Minnette Doderer Dies at 82
Iowa City Press-Citizen
(Blog for Iowa apologizes for the delay in getting this post up today - the system was down for maintenance.)
Minnette F. Doderer, 82, former state legislator, died
Friday, August 12, 2005, in Iowa City.
A celebration of Minnette's life and her accomplishments
will be held at a later date, tentatively in late October or early November.
As a state legislator, she was recognized not only in our
state but throughout the country as a lawmaker advocating women's rights, equal
rights amendments, juvenile justice, child care and many other issues. She
attained the highest position ever held by a woman in the State Senate, which
is President Pro Tempore. She was one of the founding members of the Iowa
Women's Political Caucus and Co-chair of the International Women's Year
coordinating committee. Minnette was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of
Fame in 1979. She received numerous awards and recognitions throughout her
distinguished career and in retirement, including, Reproductive Rights Award,
Business and Professional Women Women of Achievement Award, Citation from the
American Academy of Pediatrics for sponsorship of legislation for Post Delivery
Benefits and Care of Iowa's Infants, Friend of Nursing Award, Feminist of the
Year Award, Iowa City Senior Center Woman of the Year, Gold Seal Award, Iowa
Coalition Against Domestic Violence, ERA Tribute, Friend of Education Award,
Distinguished Legislative Service Award, Iowa State Education Association, and
the Good Citizenship Award.
A quote from Louise R. Noun in More Strong-Minded Women:
"Minnette Doderer, tough-minded and outspoken, is the leading feminist in
the Iowa Legislature.... Doderer's efforts on behalf of women are
unflagging."
(Click here to read the entire article)
Birth Defect-Causing Acne Drug Ushers in New Era of Big Brother Medical Monitoring
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 15 Aug 2005 04:00 AM CDT
   Birth Defect-Causing Acne Drug Ushers in New Era of Big Brother Medical Monitoring
Why don’t they just take the horrible thing off the market?
Well,
here’s one for the record books. Ever hear of the acne drug
called Accutane? Accutane, and the generic version called
isotretinoin, causes massive birth defects when women get pregnant while
taking the drug (or within 30 days of stopping the drug use).
Severe brain or heart defects, mental retardation and other
abnormalities come from fetal exposure to this dangerous drug.
Depression and suicidal thoughts in the user are also noted side
effects.
So, does the FDA take it off the market? No, instead, the
FDA uses this as an excuse to set up a Big Brother-type system to
monitor the personal/medical/sex lives of the people who use the drug.
According to a story in Business Week,
starting in December, all users of Accutane will be entered into a
computerized system called iPLEDGE. Doctors, drugstores and
wholesalers will have to register, too. Women will be required to
take two pregnancy tests at their doctor’s before getting a
prescription, will be required to visit the doctor monthly with another
requisite pregnancy test for each refill, and then must purchase the
medication within seven days of the test.
These
women must also sign a form promising to use TWO forms of birth
control, which the registered pharmacist must look up in the system
before filling the prescription. Oh, and the maker of Accutane,
Hoffman-La Roche, and the makers of the generics get to stick their
noses into everyone’s business, too, as they are required to closely
monitor those who sell the drug.
You know, this kind of thing is a slippery slope
leading us right into further invasions of medical privacy. Why
doesn’t the FDA just ban this dangerous drug? Because it’s the
perfect way to ease into computerized control of our medical
lives. Even the March of Dimes supports this dangerous plan.
The precident has been set. It’s the edge of the wedge, I tell ya.
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