Originally published February 12 2006
Opposition grows for granting pharmaceutical companies protection
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The provision would grant pharmaceutical companies wide protection from lawsuits. The National Autism Association (NAA) called the measure "an affront to democracy," while supporters say it will give the companies needed protection.
With enactment of a $453 billion defense spending bill at hand, opposition is growing over a provision granting pharmaceutical companies wide protection from lawsuits.
The nation's leading autism advocacy organization joined consumer watchdogs and medical associations in asking lawmakers to drop the provision before the bill becomes law.
As written, the law would shield drug companies and healthcare providers from lawsuits over the safety of the medicine they dispense, as long as their actions are deemed necessary to the nation's health by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
In a statement Monday, the National Autism Association (NAA) termed the measure "an affront to democracy" and warned that it will undermine drug safety in the nation.
"Such drastic changes to public health and our judicial system should have been open for public debate, not slipped in surreptitiously to unrelated, must-pass legislation," NAA president Wendy Fournier said.
The NAA statement also points out that one of the suspected causes for the dramatic increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism in recent decades was the mercury commonly used as a preservative in vaccines until the late 1990s.
"Now, the misplaced priorities of Senate leadership have sacrificed public health and basic civil rights to the greed of an industry willing to overlook safety concerns for the sake of profit."
Last week, the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) released a report showing that nearly half of the Senate -- 15 Democrats and 27 Republicans -- together with their families own over $16 million in pharmaceutical company stocks, a situation FTCR and other consumer groups say represents a conflict of interest as the lawmakers consider legislation that could benefit them financially.
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