Dear Doctors, Civil Rights and Human Rights Legal Advocates:
As leaders seeking solutions to health disparities and
reproductive justice for women in the U.S. and globally, it is my deep pleasure to inform you that on
December 3rd, 2013, Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ) will hold a two-hour
Congressional Hearing on Unethical Medical Practices (see attached summary).
For example, in the U.S., whereas less than 2% of white women
are injected with the dangerous drug Depo Provera (DMPA), Blacks,
Latinas, low-income and vulnerable women & girls of all races are
predominantly targeted and injected without knowledge of FDA
warnings of
lethal harm, and without informed consent. In sharp contrast, use of injectable contraceptives in Europe is virtually nonexistent but they still
maintain the lowest rates of pregnancies in the world.
Witnesses
will discuss the unethical use of Depo Provera in targeted Black communities with high HIV rates with inadequate clinics and hospitals. Depo Provera
significantly increases HIV/AIDS
infections and breast cancer. The discussion will also include Norplant,
which was pulled from U.S. markets in 2002 after multimillion dollar
settlements by Pfizer. However, Norplant is still implanted in economically
deprived women globally as part of US Family planning policy. Pfizer
evades US litigation by licensing Norplant to European corporation Bayer, and Norplant
is promoted by global health Foundations and the Population Council to Africans and other emerging markets
(discussed on pages 4 and 13 in DMPA policy report).
Congressman
Smith’s hearing on December 3rd, follows a Congressional Briefing held by Congressman William Lacy
Clay (D-MO): “Black Box Warnings to Protect Black Women.” At that
briefing on September 20th 2013, Hon. Clay emphatically stated the need to end
the unethical practice of misleading women about Depo Provera’s serious harm.
Cong. Lacy Clay is on the Oversight and Government Reform
committee, Vice Chairman of the
Congressional Progressive Caucus and a member of the Congressional Black
Caucus.
We thank you
for supporting our crucial transformative work to end harmful, racist and
classist, US Depo Provera family planning policy. We give special thanks
to Reproductive Health funders, Shira Saperstein & Mary Ann Stein of the
Moriah Fund for supporting the critical resistance needed by Jewish civil
rights organizations (ACRI & others) to end racist Depo Provera policies in Israel to protect and
restore the dignity of Africans and Black Jews.
For more questions about the Hearing please contact Gregory
Simpkins, Staff Director for Congressman Chris Smith at 202-225-6217 / Gregory.Simpkins@mail.house.gov
. Witnesses and room number will be announced two weeks before Hearing. A
second hearing is being planned with the Judiciary Committee. Thank you.
=====================================================
Hon. Congressman Christopher Smith is the Chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International
Organizations. Some highlights of his human rights record are: Chris Smith voted against his party to support sanctions against South Africa
to help end Apartheid; Smith authored the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) to combat global
human trafficking, and is an ardent advocate for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); and Rep. Smith has
advocated for billions in HIV/AIDS
health funding and
the President's Emergency Plan for
AIDS Relief PEPFAR.
-------------------------------------------------------
Kwame Fosu
Policy Director
Rebecca
Project for Human Rights
2029 P Street, NW, Suite 301
Washington, DC 20036
202-406-0911
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