Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Health Care in America - Big Pharma Fraud, Cover Ups & Corruption

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The Hals Report

 
Fraud, Cover-Ups, and Corruption: Welcome to the Drug Industry

Erik Hals,  January 6, 2011
The Broken American Health Care System

There are no short cuts to the truth, and especially when it comes to the cutthroat world of big pharma and big bucks.  In this article we take a story that appeared in The Hals Report by Erik Hals.  It is another example of the extent big pharma is willing to go to secure business in the ruthless legal drug addiction market in America.

 


The United States health care industry is one of the largest in the world, with over 300 billion dollars spent on prescription drugs per year. (1) For many, these drugs have brought undeniable benefits, but in recent months the health care industry has fallen upon scandal after scandal.

Recently, two of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies were fined billions of dollars after investigations into their secret working practices brought several fraudulent activities to light. Now, new revelations have emerged including pervasive fraud, corruption and huge kickbacks which were paid to doctors.

So, what do doctors receive kickbacks for and how do they work? We will begin with a man named David. A decade ago David was prescribed Risperdal for a psychiatric illness, a drug made by Johnson and Johnson. U.S. authorities never approved Risperdal for treating his disorder but the doctor prescribed it to him anyway, it had devastating consequences. He is now in a wheelchair with diabetes and Parkinson’s. In a current lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson, he blames Risperdal. (2)

The pharmaceutical companies didn’t trick the government though. U.S. regulators ruled Johnson and Johnson misled doctors about potential fatal risks associated with the drug, including diabetes. (3) There are more than 2,000 people bringing legal actions against Johnson and Johnson. The company claims the actions are without merit. (of course they do!) The U.S. government and several states are also suing the company in related cases.

Surprisingly, most of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the United States have been fined for fraud in the past. One of the most common types of fraud in the pharmaceutical world is known as off-label marketing. Off-label marketing is a technique in which pharmaceutical companies advise doctors to prescribe drugs for unapproved uses. This is known as fraud against the government because medicare ends up paying the expense for the drugs if they do not work.

Sharon Ornsby, a member of the FBI financial crimes unit, in an interview on Al Jazeera television said, “pharmaceutical fraud is one of our top three threats.”

The U.S. government is slowly beginning to show a fighting facade, but is that all it really is, a facade? In the last 2 years alone the U.S. government has fined six of Americas top ten pharmaceutical companies for fraud. Ongoing investigations continue against three of the four remaining companies. During this specific period in time the industry has paid out over five billion dollars in fines.


In September of 2009 Pfizer settled civil and criminal charges in the amount of 2.3 billion dollars with the federal government for illegally marketing four types of drugs. (4) The Pfizer corporation made over 180 billion dollars selling twelve twelve kinds of drugs and only paid 2.3 billion dollars in fines, talk about a phenomenal business plan!

Details of Pfizer’s behavior came to light when several insiders decided to become whistleblowers. Glen Demott was a top Pfizer representative selling the drug Bextra while earning 100,000 dollars per year. He claims he was trained to lie to physicians, “they were training us to say things to physicians that weren’t accurate. Bextra was not approved to be used for acute pain and we were out there trying to get standing orders for acute pain.” Eventually, Demott was forced out of his position with Pfizer. (5)

Demott is one of a growing number of whistleblowers exposing medical corruption across America. This is largely thanks to a U.S. law called Qui Tam. The law allows individuals with knowledge concerning fraud against the government to bring a legal case on its behalf and share in the proceeds.

Lewis Morris is chief lawyer for the U.S. health department and increasingly uses Qui Tam to expose drug industry corruption. Today there are over 1000 outstanding Qui Tam cases in the United States and they are slowly beginning to open up the secretive world of big pharma. For the first time, we can see millions of dollars in payments to doctors throughout the U.S.

Drug companies now publish physician payment figures online and in 2009 just a few companies paid doctors in the United States over 200 million dollars. (6) These giant sums of money pouring into the medical field will inevitably lead to corruption on every level of the pharmaceutical industry. (if it hasn’t already?)

We already know Risperdal can cause diabetes and Parkinson’s as we saw in Davids case, but now there is evidence the drug can cause serious complications in adolescent boys as well. (Gynecomastia: breast development.) (7) As we speak, federal investigators are still looking into claims concerning Johnson and Johnson. They believe the company illegally marketed Risperdal for use in children, including those with ADHD. But with so many drug scandals flooding the news, the countries regulators have begun to run low on resources.

Avandia used to be the worlds best selling diabetes drug for years. It earned its maker Glaxo Smith Kline billions of dollars, but now it is linked to over 100,000 heart attacks in the United States.

In July the U.S. food and drug administration held hearings related to the dangers of Avandia. (It’s license has already been suspended in Saudi Arabia) An investigation by the U.S. senate finance committee found the totality of evidence suggests Glaxo Smith Kline was aware of the possible cardiac risks associated with Avandia years before the evidence became public. (8) Glaxo Smith Kline also tried to prevent heart attack warnings from being printed on their products box.

Many of Americas leading pharmaceutical corporations appear distraught and amass in corruption. Will fines alone prevent this?

The U.S. government is continually reaching for stronger powers and controls over the industry. The department of health is even considering breaking up drug companies found guilty of corrupt and unethical practices. In the meantime, 1000′s of doctors continue to take cash payments from the drug industry and would argue they are doing nothing wrong. This deeply entrenched culture of corruption within the drug industry is a serious problem that will inevitably cripple our healthcare system beyond repair if something isn’t done about it . Say NO to big pharma.

Sources:
1.
Reuters: prescription drug sales 300b$
2. Health Freedom Alliance
3. J&J Told to Pay $257.7 Million Over Risperdal Marketing Tactics
4. Pfizer pays a record $2.3 billion to settle criminal charges
5. Whistleblower Glen DeMott on False Claims Act Settlement Reached
6. PFIZER INC Officers & Directors
7. RISPERDAL
8. Avandia Maker Hid Risks for Years, Probe Finds

© The Hals Report 2012. All rights reserved.

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Health Care in America - Obama and Big Pharma - Strange Bedfellows

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The Broken American Health Care System

When he ran for office Obama pledged to get control of health care costs and the first thing he did was have his then Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel negotiate a multi billion dollar deal with big pharmaceutical companies to get their backing for his Obamacare health program.

Details of this deal have never been made public but he did get the support and money from big pharma to lobby and pass his health care program.  As profits continue to climb and costs continue to soar for prescription drugs in America let us look at how they have fared in selling their drugs under Obamacare.

Would you like to know what contributions you are making to drug companies in America? Here are the top 15 drug sales of prescription drugs for 2010 as reported by Bloomberg News.

As you will note, the drug is first, what it treats next, the annual sales in BILLIONS of dollars, and the percentage change over the previous year.  This does not include sales for livestock, fish and poultry use which can represent up to 70% of total antibody drug sales for big pharma, tens of billions more in revenues.
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Lipitor Topped Worldwide Drug Sales in 2010; Crestor Gains Most

1. Lipitor - High cholesterol - Pfizer - $10.7 - -6%

2. Plavix - Blood clot prevention - Bristol Myers - $9.43 - -4%

3. Remicade - Rheumatoid arthritis - J&J Merck & Co. - $7.99 - N/A

4. Advair - Asthma - GlaxoSmithKline - $7.94 - 2%

5. Enbrel - Rheumatoid arthritis - Amgen/Pfizer - $7.23 - N/A

6. Abilify- -Depression Bipolar Schizophrenia - Otsuka/Bristol-Myers - $6.78 - N/A

7. Humira - Rheumatoid arthritis - Abbott - $6.55 - 19%

8. Avastin - Cancer - Roche -  $6.22 - 8%

9. Rituxan - Lymphoma Leukemia - Roche/Biogen Idec - $6.11 - 9%

10. Diovan - High blood pressure - Novartis - $6.05 - 1%

11. Crestor - High cholesterol - AstraZeneca - $5.69 - 26%

12. Seroquel - Depression Bipolar Schizophrenia - AstraZeneca - $5.3 - 9%

13. Herceptin - Breast cancer - Roche - $5.22 - 7%

14. Zyprexa - Bipolar Schizophrenia - Eli Lilly - $5.03 - 2%

15. Singulair  - Asthma Allergies - Merck & Co. - $4.99 - 7%

*Estimated, Otsuka declined to provide 2010 sales. Some year-over-year sales comparisons are N/A because there isn’t comparable 2009 data.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net.
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Monday, March 05, 2012

Coltons Point Times Index by Subject

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The Broken American Health Care System

Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Health Care in America - Illegal "Off-Label" Conspirators
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/03/health-care-in-america-illegal-off.html

Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Health Care in America - Increasing Criminal and Civil Monetary Penalties Against the Pharmaceutical Industry
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/03/health-care-in-america-increasing.html

Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Health Care in America - Big Pharma Convictions in Civil and Criminal Courts
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/03/health-care-in-america-big-pharma.html

Tuesday, March 06, 2012
Health Care in America - Big Pharma Fraud, Cover Ups & Corruption
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/03/health-care-in-america-big-pharma-fraud.html

Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Health Care in America - The Sword of Damocles - Antibiotics

Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Health News You Can Use - Stay Informed & Stay Alive
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/02/health-news-you-can-use-stay-informed.html

Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Did You Hear About This in the News?
America's Legal Drug Addiction
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/02/did-you-hear-about-this-in-news.html

Monday, February 06, 2012
Health Care in America - "Corruption at the Core of the Collapse
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/02/health-care-in-america-corruption-at.html

Friday, February 03, 2012
Health Care in America - "Possible Side Effects" Warnings
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/02/health-care-in-america-possible-side.html

Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Health Care in America - Where Politicians Fear to Tread
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/01/health-care-in-america-where.html


Lyme Disease - the Secret Pandemic Sweeping America - Links

Part 1. - May 18, 2010
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping.html

Part 2 - May 19, 2010
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_20.html

Part 3 - May 20, 2010
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_61.html

Part 4 - June 02, 2010
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_2895.html

Part 5 - June 11, 2010
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_7907.html

Part 6 - December 21, 2010
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2010/12/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping_21.html

Part 7 - January 18, 2012
http://lymediseasesecretpandemic.blogspot.com/2012/01/lyme-disease-secret-pandemic-sweeping.html


Hopi Indians - People of the Golden Sun

Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Hopi Nation - the People of Peace and Children of God - Part 1.
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/06/hopi-nation-people-of-peace-and.html

Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The Hopi Nation - the People of Peace and Children of God - Part 2.
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/06/hopi-nation-people-of-peace-and_30.html

Friday, July 02, 2010
The Hopi Nation - the People of Peace and Children of God - Part 3
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/07/hopi-nation-people-of-peace-and.html

Wednesday, July 07, 2010
The Hopi Nation - the People of Peace and Children of God - Part 4
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/07/hopi-nation-people-of-peace-and_07.htm



Earth Changes - Natural & Manmade

Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Sun fires off 2 huge solar flares, could impact weather on Earth

Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Solar Storm Update - Prepare Yourself
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2012/01/solar-storm-update-prepare-yourself.html

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Earthquakes - Nature's Fury or Mankind's Folly? Our Celestial HAARP
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2011/03/earthquakes-natures-fury-or-mankinds.html

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Time to Listen to Mother Earth - We are Running Out of Time
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2011/03/time-to-listen-to-mother-earth-we-are.html

Thursday, November 18, 2010
Antimatter atoms produced and trapped at CERN
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/11/antimatter-atoms-produced-and-trapped.html

Friday, November 12, 2010
Hopelessly Hooked on Science - Search for the God Particle
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/11/hopelessly-hooked-on-science-search-for.html



St. Clements Island Maryland Colonial History - The Rest of the Story

Maryland and the nation owe a great deal to the brave colonists who ventured across the Atlantic in 1633 and landed on St. Clements Island in early 1634. St. Clements Manor, established within a couple of years, remains the oldest continually settled chartered community in colonial America.

The following series of articles gives the latest research and solves the enduring mysteries about the colonial days in England and Southern Maryland giving a fascinating glimpse into the lives and politics of the colonial era.

Thursday, October 26, 2006
Where in the world is Coltons Point?
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2006/10/where-in-world-is-coltons-point.html

Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Miracle of St. Clements Island
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2008/04/miracle-of-st-clements-island.html

Saturday, March 21, 2009
Scenes from Coltons Point
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/03/scenes-from-coltons-point.html

Friday, July 10, 2009
St. Clements Island and Manor - Four Centuries of Uninterrupted History
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/07/st-clements-island-and-manor-four.html

Tuesday, August 11, 2009
St. Clement's Island Prehistory - Part 1.
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/08/st-clements-island-prehistory-part-1.html

Monday, August 24, 2009
St. Clement's Island Prehistory - Part 2
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/08/st-clements-island-prehistory-part-2.html

Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Histories Mysteries - The Journey of the Ark and the Dove
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2009/09/histories-mysteries-journey-of-ark-and.html

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Histories Mysteries - Next King of England (Prince William) Shares St. Clements Manor, Maryland bloodline
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/histories-mysteries-next-king-of.html

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Histories Mysteries - The Landing at St. Clement's Island in 1634
http://coltonspointtimes.blogspot.com/2010/04/histories-mysteries-landing-at-st.html
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Friday, March 02, 2012

Wilt the Stilt Chamberlain - 50 Years Ago Today He Scored 100 Points in NBA Game


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There will never be another Wilt Chamberlain in basketball. He was a force in college, in the pros and on and off the court throughout life. This giant of a man made history 50 years ago today when he scored 100 points in a single NBA game as the Philadelphia Warriors beat the New York Knicks in a 169-147 victory. It is a feat that may never be beaten.

Shortly after that day I had occasion to meet Chamberlain with my brothers. My older brother was a high school All American in basketball and along with my younger brother the three of us played on one of the most successful programs in Iowa basketball history at the time, which was why we got to meet him.

Because of the press attention my brother got to pose with Chamberlain and at 7 feet 2 inches and 275 pounds he was a giant, with arms bigger than my brother's thighs.  My brother was at 6' 5" and 200 pounds.




"As time goes by," Chamberlain reflected more than three decades later, "I feel more and more a part of that 100-point game. It has become my handle, and I've come to realize just what I did."

As Oscar Robertson put it in the Philadelphia Daily News when asked whether Chamberlain was the best ever, "The books don't lie."

He retired as the all-time in career points with 31,419, which was later surpassed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and Michael Jordan. He is tops in rebounds with 23,924. He led the NBA in scoring seven years in a row. He was the league's top rebounder in 11 of his 14 seasons. And as if to prove that he was not a selfish player, he had the NBA's highest assist total in 1967-68.

As if that was not enough in his personal autobiography Wilt revealed he not only scored on the court but off the court as well with over 20,000 women.
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Obamaville March 2 - Obama Mea Culpa Backfires

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President apologizes - six US soldiers & over 30 Afghans Murdered


In spite of claims to the contrary in which the President said his apology to the Afghan people over the inadvertent burning of a Quran holy book has helped ease the violence against American troops in Afghanistan, the facts speak volumes that he might have been wrong.


The Afghan people became aware on February 21 that US troops had burned a Quran the day before that was used to pass secret messages between terrorists in prison.  Two days later President Obama talked to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and had a letter hand delivered to Karzai the same day apologizing for the action by the American troops.

Before the day was over two American servicemen had been killed by a man in an Afghan army uniform in retaliation for the burning.  Today, nine days later, six American soldiers are dead and over 30 Afghans have been killed in violent riots against American troops.


Critics said Obama's apology was capitulation for actions that were justified and served to give already nervous Afghan people a reason to join the Taliban in trying to get the US out of Afghanistan.

With the President already announcing his intention to pull out of Afghanistan by 2014 the Afghan people feel they are being abandoned by the American president and people.  They believe the Taliban will overrun the country as soon as the Americans depart.


The war in Afghanistan is Obama's war, his signature is all over it.  He tripled the number of American troops fighting in Afghanistan and the US has already spent over $800 billion fighting the ten year war.  During that time 1,908 American soldiers have been killed.  The US has also given over $18 billion in aid to the Afghan government.


There is no sign the hatred will subside or the rioting and deaths will end.  Just yesterday Obama's Joint Chiefs of staff indicated support of Israel military action against the Muslim nation Iran, an act that may further aggravate heightened tension with Afghan.


Israel is pressing Obama for an explicit threat of military action against Iran if sanctions fail and Tehran's nuclear program advances beyond specified "red lines".



Diplomats say that Israel is angered by the Obama administration's public disparaging of early military action against Iran, saying that it weakens the prospect of Tehran taking the warnings from Israel seriously.


Just days before the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is scheduled to arrive in Washington to meet with Obama the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Norton Schwartz, said the Joint Chiefs of Staff have prepared military options to strike Iranian nuclear sites in the event of a conflict.


The Middle East Arab Israeli conflict has been fought over thousands of years and the Muslims have never lost sight of the fact that America is Israel's friend and protector.  As such suspicion between Arab nations and the United States continues unabated which was obvious during the recent Arab spring when countries overthrowing dictators and gaining freedom have moved away from the US and Israel.
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Thursday, March 01, 2012

Is Obama backing Sexual Promiscuity as a Woman's Wellness Issue?

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Obama backs federal regulation to pay for sexual promiscuity

In another bizarre deviation from the norm when it comes to an over-reaching federal government President Obama, and today the Democrat controlled Senate on a narrow 51-48 vote, have extended federal health care jurisdiction to guarantee protection for sexual promiscuity.

Under ObamaCare the federal government has now determined that sexual promiscuity must be covered by health insurance companies by ordering them to pay for multiple kinds of birth control in addition to abortions.

Where in the US Constitution does it guarantee the government will pay for freedom of sexual promiscuity?

Is this what a Harvard trained lawyer like Obama learns about our Constitution in law school?  He is the one claiming to be a Constitutional lawyer.

In the first place birth control was available and paid for through private sources for anyone in America for the last few decades.  Was it even necessary?  Or was it another ruse to expand the social engineering to further undermine morality and religion in our country?

Leading liberals, particularly feminist spokespeople, have made a passionate case that birth control is just another woman's health issue as if sexual promiscuity has no relationship to the matter and a woman is not normal unless they have a healthy sexual appetite.

They deny morality is involved and that religion has any role in working to stop the sexual epidemic currently facing our nation.


The Henry J. Kaiser family foundation says:

Every year there are more than 15 million new cases of STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) in the United States, including approximately 10 million new cases among people aged 15-24. Put another way: By age 24, at least one in three sexually active people will have contracted an STD.


Americans are getting hit at three times the rate of other wealthy nations by bad health consequences of sexual activity, a report says.

Based on an analysis of national health data, researchers said 20 million adverse health events occur each year as a result of sexual behavior.

An additional 30,000 deaths each year are attributable to sexual behavior translating to 2 million years of lost life, according to the study.

You may think it can’t happen to you, but every year there are almost 3 million unintended pregnancies in this country. Among young people the problem is especially serious. Each year nearly 1 million young women aged 15 to 19 get pregnant; that’s a little more than one in every nine teenagers. Eighty percent of these pregnancies are unplanned.

These unplanned pregnancies result in about 1.2 million abortions every year in America.

The Centers for Disease Control says `these are numbers that have been reported; actual cases may be much higher. But it remains a hidden epidemic, not just because many STDs have no symptoms, but because of the stigma and politics that complicate efforts to fight them.


DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz told Megyn Kelly of Fox News that all women deserve free contraceptives.  Here is what else Obama spokesperson and Democrat National Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz has said on this issue.

"Contraception in which 99 percent of women in America have used at some point in their life. And the Republicans want to debate not just religious liberty. They want to debate allowing all employers who might have an objection to deny that coverage that President Obama has said should be available under the Affordable Care Act, without a copay, and without a deductible."

"There is a new poll that shows the American people trust the president to make the right decision about this."

"that's a huge extreme divide between President Obama and his excellent accomplishment in passing the affordable care act and then giving access to health care, free preventive wellness like contraception"

"Contraception is an important part of women's preventive health care. It not only prevents unwanted pregnancies, but also allows couples to limit family size, increase the interval between pregnancies, and reduces infant, child and maternal deaths in women whom, either because of age or health, should not become pregnant. Oral contraceptives can also be crucial for women who suffer from painful maladies like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, or debilitating menstrual cramps or irregular periods."

Just a couple of notes about the facts and omissions from Chairwoman Wasserman.  She has said repeatedly that 99% of all women in America have used contraception.


Facts and Omissions

According to the US Census Bureau there were 127,026,000 women in America 15 years and older in 2010.  That means Wasserman says over 125 million women use contraceptives.

According to The Alan Guttmacher Institute:

• There are 62 million U.S. women in their childbearing years (15–44).

• Seven in 10 women of reproductive age (43 million women) are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant, but could become pregnant if they and their partners fail to use a contraceptive method.

• The proportion of women aged 15–44 currently using a contraceptive method increased from 56% in 1982 to 64% in 1995, and then declined slightly to 62% in 2002 and 2006–2008.

In other words, 38 million women use contraception in America of the 43 million who could use it.  Wasserman's facts are off by over 84 million.  Even if we assumed she misspoke and meant 99% of the "childbearing age " women use contraceptives she is still dead wrong, just 61% of that group use contraceptives.

She also goes into great detail about how couples and families have a right to a government mandate to provide contraceptives for child planning purposes but fails to mention teens who are responsible for one third of all unwanted pregnancies, are far more sexually active than adults, and suffer far more from an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases.

Family Planning Centers and many schools have free contraceptives available for teens yet the epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases continues to spiral upward.  Her ideas will do nothing to help this demographic, the sufferers of the worst consequences of rampant sex.


What are STDs?

These are some of the diseases transmitted sexually.

In 2010, a total of 1,307,893 cases of sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis infection were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is the largest number of cases ever reported to CDC for any condition. This case count corresponds to a rate of 426.0 cases per 100,000 population, an increase of 5.1% compared with the rate in 2009.

Rates of reported chlamydial infections among women have been increasing annually since the late 1980s, when public programs for screening and treatment of women were first established to avert pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and related complications.

Following a 74% decline in the rate of reported gonorrhea during 1975–1996, overall gonorrhea rates plateaued for 10 years; it decreased during 2006–2009 to the lowest rate since national reporting began and then increased 2.8% between 2009 and 2010. In 2010, a total of 309,341 cases of gonorrhea were reported in the United States, which corresponds to a rate of 100.8 cases per 100,000 population.

The rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis reported in the United States decreased during the 1990s, and in 2000, it was the lowest since reporting began in 1941. The low rate of syphilis and the concentration of most syphilis cases in a small number of geographic areas led to the development of the National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis from the United States, which was announced by the Surgeon General in 1999 and updated in 2006.

The overall rate of P&S syphilis in the United States declined 89.7% during 1990–2000, then increased each year from 2001 through 2009. In 2010, the overall rate decreased for the first time in 10 years. The rate decreased 21% in women but increased slightly, 1.3%, in men. In 2010, a total of 13,774 cases of P&S syphilis were reported to CDC. After 14 years of decline, the number of reported cases of congenital syphilis reached an historic low of 339 cases in 2005. The number of cases increased from 2006–2008 but has since decreased with 377 cases reported in 2010, a 15% decrease since 2008.


Do we really believe this has nothing to do with sexual promiscuity or morality but is simply a matter of wellness for women according to Obama?
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