I just gained a tremendous amount of respect for Susan Wood. There was news yesterday that Plan B was being held up because of pushback from the conservative Republicans in power, and this doesn't make the situation look much better. I'm not sure I would have the courage to leave a well-paying job like this like Dr. Wood did.

FDA chief of women's health resigns over Plan B inaction
Criticizing the influence of "abortion politics" in the FDA's decision to indefinitely delay any decision on allowing the controversial morning-after pill to be sold over-the-counter, the agency's top official for women's health turned in her resignation yesterday. In an email to her colleagues, Dr. Susan F. Wood said she could no longer remain at the FDA when scientific evidence and the recommendations of professional staff were being ignored. The morning-after pill, she noted, was aimed at avoiding unwanted pregnancies and unnecessary abortions.

The high-level defection was likely to prove a significant embarrassment for newly-approved FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester Crawford. The day before, Crawford had ignited a firestorm of criticism by his decision to again overlook the recommendation of the agency's advisers in delaying action on Plan B. Conservative groups cheered the announcement, though, saying that Plan B would simply encourage teenage promiscuity. (from FierceBiotech)

- read this article from The New York Times for more information