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Obama Team Ready To Start Health Reform Rally
The White House launches a media blitz this week to coincide with the shrinking timeline for getting a health reform package passed in the Senate, Roll Call reports.

Scientists Test New Drug Combo Against Breast Cancer
The American Cancer Society estimates 192,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year with more than 40,000 individuals dying from the disease. In New Jersey alone 6,400 new cases are expected with 1,400 deaths. In an effort to combat such statistics, researchers at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) have opened a clinical trial, which will evaluate a new drug combination for patients with breast cancer who are set to undergo surgery to remove the tumor. At focus is the process of stopping angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), which is necessary for cancer tumors to grow and spread. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
News of the day
President Obama Reverses Bush Policy Preventing Consumers From Suing Product Makers In State Courts
President Obama on Wednesday ordered federal agencies to rescind regulations enacted by former President George W. Bush"s administration that protect manufacturers of such products as medical devices from product-liability lawsuits in state court, the Wall Street Journal reports. The decision could affect a wide range of manufacturers and products because the Bush administration "aggressively" encouraged federal agencies to make rules that pre-empt and override state laws, which often meant protecting manufacturers of medical equipment from lawsuits, according to the Journal. Obama in a two-page memo wrote that federal agencies and departments could claim state law is pre-empted by federal law only when there is a well-defined legal basis. The memo stated that state laws are important because they supplement federal regulations. "State and local governments have frequently protected health, safety and environment more aggressively than has the national government," Obama wrote (Mundy/Kendall, Wall Street Journal, 5/21). Obama ordered agencies to review regulations from the past decade and look for possible occasions in which the government improperly declared federal pre-emption (Yost, AP/Kansas City Star, 5/20). According to the Journal, business groups oppose the decision (Wall Street Journal, 5/21).
Nutrition

Advocates Speculate On Release Of White House 'Common Ground' Reproductive Health Policies

Advocates on both sides of the abortion-rights debate are anticipating the White House"s release of its "common ground" reproductive health proposals, including policies aimed at preventing unintended pregnancies and reducing the need for abortion, U.S. News & World Report reports. President Obama in February tasked the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships with determining how to "support women and children, address teenage pregnancy and reduce the need for abortion." Along with the new White House Council on Women and Girls, the office since April has been conducting meetings with advocates on both sides of the abortion-rights debate to develop policy proposals. U.S. News reports that according to some involved in the process, the results could be announced as early as this summer. According to U.S. News, whether the White House can attract more support from conservative groups without alienating abortion-rights advocates at its base represents the "biggest test yet" of Obama"s "vow to be a peacemaker in the nation"s culture wars."The White House solicited recommendations from groups in four areas: reducing unintended pregnancies, increasing access to adoption, supporting maternal health and reducing the need for abortion. The administration has stressed that it wants to avoid influencing women"s decisions on abortion but that there needs to be support for individuals who decide to carry pregnancies to term. To date, the White House has given little indication on what the final plan will look like, and the wait for the proposals" release has left advocates on both sides of the debate "jittery" over whether their interests will be represented, according to U.S. News.Kristen Day, head of Democrats for Life, said that "[t]here were definitely areas of disagreement" during the meetings but that "for the most part, people were respectful and were doing more listening than debating." Nancy Ratzan -- president of the National Council of Jewish Women and an abortion-rights supporter -- said, "I have real concerns about understanding those issues from a faith perspective as opposed to a scientific and individual rights perspective." She added, "You"re creating the possibility that the religious views of some are going to be imposed on others." Richard Land, head of public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention, which opposes abortion rights, said, "I"m in a trust but verify mode." Land added that he has "seen some signs that they are eagerly seeking common ground and other signs that they"re not."According to U.S. News, some antiabortion-rights groups have said that too much emphasis on preventing unintended pregnancies through strategies like comprehensive sex education and increased access to contraception could cause them to oppose the White House"s plan, even if they agree with certain aspects. Instead, these groups would like Obama to support the Pregnant Women Support Act, which aims to discourage abortion through assistance to economically distressed pregnant women. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America opposes the bill, which it says would "attempt to influence, rather than inform, a woman"s decision whether or not to have an abortion."Laurie Rubiner, vice president for public policy at Planned Parenthood, said that the Obama administration is "strongly pro-choice" and that she is "hopeful their policy will be helpful on reducing unintended pregnancies." Large religious groups that typically oppose abortion rights -- like the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops -- also say they are hopeful that the White House"s plan will satisfy groups on both sides. Nancy Wisdo, associate general secretary for USCCB, said the group is "willing to work with anyone who tries to reduce the number of abortions and help women who choose to bring their babies to term." She added that USCCB is "taking the White House at its word that this is going to be a serious effort" (Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report, 6/16). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women"s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women"s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company. © 2009 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.


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