By Associated Press, 12/26/2002

WASHINGTON - A physician who has been criticized for his birth control views was named to a Food and Drug Administration panel on women's health policy.

Dr. W. David Hager, a University of Kentucky obstetrician-gynecologist, was among 11 physicians appointed Tuesday by FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan to the agency's Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health Drugs.

Hager has questioned the safety of the abortion pill RU-486 and opposes abortion.

Abortion-rights activists are concerned about Hager's appointment because he participated in a Christian Medical Association campaign this year that attempted to reverse the FDA committee's 1996 recommendation that led to RU-486 being approved.

The National Organization for Women and six other groups that support abortion rights have called Hager's selection a conflict of interest in the name of ideology.

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America issued a statement Tuesday calling the appointment of Hager and other doctors on the panel ''a frontal assault on reproductive rights that will imperil women's health.''

It said Hager and his wife, Linda, have recommended ''specific scripture readings and prayers for such ailments as headaches and premenstrual syndrome.''

But Hager, a part-time professor of obstetrics and gynecology, said his beliefs won't compromise his judgment.

''Yes, I'm pro-life,'' he told the Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky. ''But that's not going to keep me from objectively evaluating medication. I believe there are some safety concerns [about RU-486] and they should be evaluated.''

The advisory committee has not met for two years, and its entire membership had lapsed. Its job is to review and evaluate data - and make recommendations - on the safety and effectiveness of marketed and experimental drugs for use in obstetrics, gynecology, and related specialties.

Michael Furman Greene of Massachusetts General Hospital also was named to the committee.

This story ran on page A7 of the Boston Globe on 12/26/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.